Olivia In NXT
by LegitElizabethWWEFan
Summary: (Story#1 of the "Olivia" series) Olivia Parker has received the opportunity of a lifetime- to compete on NXT to win a spot on the main roster. She just has to get through her fellow competitors, working with her Pro Dolph Ziggler, and threatened WWE Divas in order to win the competition. No pairings & slight AU, please review!
1. Prologue

**Hey there, everyone! So, it has been a long time since I've uploaded a WWE fanfic, let alone any fanfic. Truthfully, I've deleted a lot of my old WWE fanfics because it was so badly written and created that frankly, I'm quite ashamed of it. But this story is much better than my old stuff (at least in my opinion), and I'm proud that I decided to take a chance by getting back into WWE fanfiction. Needless to say, I'm excited and nervous to see how people react.**

 **Just to give some context: this story begins in late August 2010, when NXT was a competition show instead of the developmental territory it's known as today. There's some slight AU (challenges may not be the right weeks, for example), but I did try to stay faithful to the season in question. If you have any questions regarding the universe, please shoot me a message and I'll try my best to answer.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I own nothing related to WWE.**

 **Without further delay, please read & enjoy! :D**

* * *

Olivia Parker's feet tapped the floor and her hands shook as she sat in FCW's makeshift office, waiting for Stephanie McMahon to show up. This was highly unusual— one of WWE's top executives visiting developmental to speak with a member of its talent. From the email she'd received days prior to the meeting, there was no telling as why it was even happening in the first place.

 _Am I being fired? Wait, that's silly— if they wanted to fire me, they would've done it at the drop of a hat_ , Olivia thought as she exhaled loudly. _Perhaps I'm being moved to the main roster now! But I've only been in FCW for almost a year…why would they want me to go up so soon? Christ, I wish Stephanie was here so I can finally know what the hell's going on._

As if on cue, Stephanie promptly entered the office with a calm grin on her face. Olivia stood up and shook her head.

"Hi, Olivia."

"Hello, Mrs. McMahon. Or do you prefer Stephanie?"

"Stephanie's fine, thank you. How are you?"

"Fine, thanks, and yourself?"

"Good. Did anyone tell you why I wanted to speak to you?"

Olivia shook her head, causing Stephanie to frown in response. "Nothing?"

"The email I got was quite vague," Olivia revealed. "I just know that you wanted to see me, and that's it."

"So, you must be anxious to hear what's going on," Stephanie remarked.

"You could say that," Olivia replied with a nervous laugh.

"Well then, I'll just cut to the chase— you may have heard about one of our newer shows, NXT. It's about to enter its third season next month, and it's going to feature Divas instead of Superstars. We've decided to include seven Divas to compete on the show, and you've been selected as one such Diva. I wanted to tell you the news myself, which is why I came down to FCW to speak to you."

Olivia blinked hard and took a moment to take in the news. "Seriously? I mean…don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that I was picked, but…I haven't been here for that long. May I ask why you picked me?"

"Your past experience prior to WWE was a huge part in the decision," Stephanie explained. "I know you've been wrestling long before you signed to WWE, so you already have the skills to prove yourself. I've personally watched many of your matches, and you're quite good. I think you'll fit in quite well in NXT."

"Oh my God…thank you, Stephanie!" Olivia exclaimed. "Er, sorry for being loud."

Stephanie's laugh was a kind one. "It's alright. So, we're gonna have you film your introduction to the show next week, and then everything will be announced later on this month. Oh, and you'll hopefully find out who your Pro is soon. We're still working that last part out."

"That's fine. Thank you again for choosing me, Stephanie. I sincerely appreciate it."

"You're welcome, Olivia. I have a feeling you're gonna do well out there."

Olivia couldn't help but snicker. "No pressure."

Again, Stephanie laughed. "Yeah, no pressure at all."

* * *

True to what Stephanie had said, Olivia was in front of a camera the following week to film her introduction for NXT. She adjusted her white floral halter top and cleared her throat well. A hairdresser touched up her deep red hair, noting that it fell right on her shoulders,

"A lot of Divas don't have hair as short as yours," she remarked. "This is cute."

"Oh, thank you," Olivia replied.

Once the hairdresser left, a producer directed Olivia to the camera. "Just introduce yourself, and then talk about two different things— your childhood, past wrestling experience outside FCW, how you'd describe yourself— whatever you want. After that, finish by saying something about you plan on winning NXT."

"Sounds good. I'm ready when you are."

The producer nodded, and then motioned to the cameraman. "Alright, let's do this. We're ready in five, four, three, two…"

 **…**

" _My name is Olivia, and I'm from Long Beach, California._

 _I know we're called Rookies, but I've been in sports entertainment for just over 10 years now. I started when I was 18, working across North America and Mexico for various promotions. I've held many titles, and have had the opportunity to work with many amazing performers. I think that sets me apart from the others— that I have more in-ring experience than the rest of them._

 _The main word I'd use to describe myself would be fearless, for sure. I'm not a big person at all— I'm only five foot three— so I'm used to being towered over by many others. But I refuse to let anyone intimidate me; I don't care who it is or how big they are. I'll always stand my ground until the bitter end. I'm not afraid to stand up for myself, or for others._

 _I know I can win NXT because I have the skills to beat each of my competitors in and out of the ring. I also want this far more than any of them— it's taken me 10 years to get here, and I'm not about to stop anytime soon. I'm going to win NXT, and become the newest WWE Diva."_

 **…**

"And CUT! That was perfect," the producer called out. "Thank you, Olivia."

"No problem," she replied. "Am I filming shots of me in the ring now?"

"Once you change into your ring gear, we'll start doing that."

Olivia nodded. "I'll be as quick as I can."

She left the room to change out of shirt, jeans, and heels for her ring gear. Her fellow competitors had already filmed their interviews and shots, so Olivia knew how they'd looked. The main thing she'd noticed from their in-ring shots was how they'd been wearing regular clothes, rather than proper ring gear like she'd been wearing for a while now. She hesitated, but slipped on some old ring gear anyways. It was a jet black halter jumpsuit that cut off mid-thigh, exposing her legs while concealing her stomach and chest completely; there weren't any slits or mesh panels to show off cleavage or any other skin. She polished off the look with her favourite wrestling boots— black leather with white laces.

Once Olivia returned from getting changed, her hair and makeup were briefly touched up so that she looked refreshed. She then headed into an adjacent set that had a ring set up for her to pose in. She did just that, though she felt slightly ridiculous throughout. She bounced off the ropes and posed on top of a turnbuckle, all while maintaining a phony smile on her face. After a half hour or so of filming, the producer yelled cut, meaning that she was done for the day.

"This'll be aired on the second season finale of NXT, which is in a couple of weeks," the producer explained.

"Sounds good," Olivia replied. "Do you happen to know when I'll learn who my Pro is?"

"Probably at the same time that yours and the other women's intros air. They're still trying to figure out who wants to do it and who to pair them with."

"I'll be sure to remember to watch the finale then. Thanks for the heads up."

* * *

Sure enough, Olivia managed to be at home in her San Diego apartment to watch the season finale of NXT. Her intro was the last to be shown, intercut with the in-ring segments she'd also filmed that day. She found herself staring away from the TV as it played— it felt awkward to watch herself talk about her career, even if it was to hype up the upcoming season of NXT.

 _Mine seems so boring compared to the other girls_ , Olivia thought. Her competitors had told stories of their past entertainment jobs, their personalities, or how they were big fans of WWE prior to joining NXT. They all seemed perky and more interesting than her, making her nervous to compete.

As her interview wrapped up, she looked back at the TV to see her picture alongside her pros— Dolph Ziggler.

"That's an interesting choice," she mused out loud. She didn't have any particular Superstar or Diva she wanted as her Pro, but Dolph Ziggler was a surprising pick. She didn't mind that it was a man instead of a woman— she'd trained under a couple other men before, and had learned lots in the process. But his in-ring persona clashed with hers, as well as his wrestling style. It seemed like the most unlikely of pairings in her eyes.

 _I can make this work,_ Olivia thought as the season finale carried on. _Although I'm more worried that we'll even get along as people. I know Dolph Ziggler's just a character, but let's hope that he's not_ really _like that in real life._

* * *

 **That's the prologue! I hope you guys enjoyed it (:**

 **As for when the next chapter will be uploaded...I don't know when exactly it'll go up. Having said that, I'm aiming to upload one new chapter a week. But I won't commit to a specific day of the week because that'll just stress me the hell out. I hope that makes sense.**

 **If you liked the beginning, please don't hesitate to give it some love & let me know what you think!**

 _\- Elizabeth_


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys! So, here it is: the first official chapter of _Olivia In NXT_. I must admit that I didn't expect it to be this long. I hope you don't mind that, although now I'm a little worried that I won't be able to match or surpass the length of the next chapter in comparison. Ah well, I hope that's not something you guys care about too much.**

 **I own absolutely nothing related to WWE.**

 **Please read & enjoy! :D**

* * *

It was a week or so later when Olivia found herself in Baltimore, Maryland for the taping of _Monday Night Raw_. She had arrived by Sunday morning, where she spent plenty of time getting herself situated in her hotel room and relaxing. By the next day, she received a phone call from a producer, who explained that she and the remaining NXT Rookies were to meet their Pros at the stadium for tonight's episode of _Raw_.

 _That means having to meet Dolph tonight_ , Olivia thought as she changed out of her casual clothes. The producer had stressed that the meeting wasn't going to be filmed, but she felt that she needed to look her best anyways. After all, she was going to be rubbing shoulders with not only her Pro, but other Pros such as the Bella Twins, Kelly Kelly, and Alicia Fox— women who could potentially become her opponents. She also wanted to look good in case she ended up on TV that night.

Olivia took a deep breath as she studied her appearance in a floor-length mirror. She'd settled on a bright T-shirt red dress and white high heels— simple, but nice looking. She didn't think she was dressed up enough, but brushed off any lingering concerns. Now wasn't the time to overthink her appearance— she needed to get downstairs to the hotel lobby so she could finally head to 1st Mariner Arena. She grabbed her purse before hustling out of her room.

A few minutes later, Olivia arrived to see her long-time travelling buddy, April Mendez, waiting patiently in the lobby. She also had on a cute dress— a light green strapless one that cut off just above the knee— which she paired with black ballet flats. She flashed Olivia a bubbly smile and gave her a tight hug.

"Hey!"

"Hey, April, how are you?"

"Good, thanks," April replied. "I'm anxious to meet my Pro. I heard WWE had problems finding us all Pros, which is why we haven't met them yet. It's kinda annoying when you think about it."

"At least we're finally meeting them," Olivia pointed out.

"That's true. Well, we should get going."

"Let's go, then."

Olivia had met April prior to them signing with WWE; they'd had a couple matches on _Women Superstars Uncensored_ back in 2008, and had hit if off upon meeting. They'd bonded over their undying passion for WWE, their love of video games, and traded wrestling moves. They were both high flyers, so they could easily bounce suggestions off one another to help improve as in-ring performers. When they had reunited in FCW, WWE's developmental territory, they'd begun to ride together to shows and train together. This helped them become close friends and better wrestlers.

Once the two women made it to the arena, they went inside and headed to the makeshift Talent Relations office. They happened to be the first NXT competitors to arrive, so they spent a few minutes chatting amongst themselves.

Trinity McCray was the next to show up, full of energy. Whether it was nervous energy or not, Olivia couldn't tell. She greeted her friend and competition with a kind smile.

"How's it goin', guys?" Trinity asked.

"Alright," Olivia answered. "Have you heard from the others?"

Trinity shook her head. "Not yet."

"Celeste texted me a few minutes ago, saying that she and Brittany were coming," April revealed. "But I haven't heard from Karlee or Živilė."

As if on cue, Karlee Perez and Živilė Raudonienė arrived inside the increasingly cramped quarters. They greeted their colleagues before finding seats. Celeste Bonin and Brittany Beede showed up just moments before Stephanie entered, which hid the fact that they'd almost been late for the meeting.

Stephanie briefly scanned the room. "Everyone's here, I see," she remarked with a grin.

The Rookies looked around and nodded in agreement.

"Good. First, I want to congratulate you all for being selected to compete on NXT. It was hard to choose which Divas were right for this opportunity, but I'm quite content with who's here."

Each Diva responded with some form of thanks for the kind words.

"Now, I want to explain how tonight's gonna work: You'll each be introduced alongside your Pro, and then you'll each make your way to the ring. Once everyone's there, Matt Striker is gonna promote NXT, and then each Pro will talk about why their respective Rookie will win. None of you have to speak or do anything— it's pretty straight forward. Does that make sense?"

Everyone nodded.

"Great! As for who will face who and when on NXT, you'll find out on a week-by-week basis. You'll also find out about each challenge the same way. Does anyone have any questions?"

A moment or two of silence filled the room. Each Diva looked around to see if anyone would speak up, but no one did.

"Good," Stephanie remarked. "So, make sure you're at the gorilla in time for the segment to air. If I were you, I'd go sooner than later, just so you can meet your Pro. You may have a chance to speak with them afterwards, but it couldn't hurt to meet them before. Oh, and one last thing— good luck on NXT."

The meeting concluded a few minutes later, so the NXT Divas filed out of the Talent Relations office and huddled a couple feet away.

"That wasn't too bad," Karlee commented.

"It was kinda nerve wracking to be in the same room as Stephanie McMahon," Brittany confessed. "I know she was nice and all, but she's so powerful! I can't believe she would even wanna talk to us."

"I can believe it," Olivia chimed in. "She's excited for NXT to start."

"I agree," April said. "So, where's everyone going now?"

"Stephanie said that our segment is airing in less than an hour," Olivia recalled, "but I wanna head to the gorilla anyways. Does anyone wanna come with me?

"I actually wanna check out the Divas' locker room," Karlee proclaimed. "I might find Alicia Fox there."

"I'll come with you," Brittany piped up, "'cause the twins may be there, too."

Trinity nodded. "My Pro's Kelly Kelly, so I'll come as well."

The three said their goodbyes before heading off to the Divas' locker room. This left Olivia, Celeste, April, and Živilė in the hallway.

"I kinda wanna explore the arena," Živilė said.

"That's a good idea," Celeste replied. "I think I'll wait until later to go to the gorilla."

"I'll go with you, Olivia," April offered.

Olivia grinned. "Sounds good. We'll see you guys later."

"See ya!" Celeste said before she and Živilė departed. As they left, Olivia and April strolled off to the gorilla.

"I've wrestled here once or twice before, so I know where it is," Olivia admitted.

April laughed. "I'm surprised you didn't say so to the others."

"If Karlee, Brittany, and Trinity find their Pros, I'm sure they'll walk with them to the gorilla. As for Celeste and Živilė…I hope they find it before the segment begins."

The two Rookies made it to the gorilla a few minutes later, but decided to sit on some chairs situated a foot or so away from its entrance. They began to gossip about the upcoming season of NXT.

"It should be interesting to have a male Pro," April remarked. "I mean, I've trained with guys before, but I'm a little surprised that they even brought on Superstars. I figured they would want all the Pros to be female."

"I'm willing to bet they did that on the off-chance that they wanna do a romantic storyline," Olivia mused. She suddenly groaned. "I hope I'm not forced into that, especially since Dolph's on-screen girlfriend is Vickie Guerrero. Love triangles bite."

"I wouldn't mind if a romantic storyline happens between Primo and I. He's kinda cute!"

"Dolph's alright-looking, don't get me wrong. But again, I'm not too keen on a clichéd love triangle storyline. They're lame and overused."

"Fair point. So, is there anyone you wanna face first? Either a Rookie or a Pro?"

Olivia smirked. "Rookie wise? You."

April's jaw dropped slightly. "Seriously?!"

"We have a past, what with our matches in _WSU_ and FCW. They were all well received, so I know we can put on great matches. As for Pros…I'm not sure. Each Diva is good in their own right, so I don't care who I face first," Olivia explained. "What about you?"

"You make a good point about us working well together, so I'd have to pick you as the Rookie I wanna face first. Either you or Celeste 'cause she and I are good friends. In terms of Pros, I'd say Alicia Fox. I think she's the best out of the others."

"Good choice! Oh…shit."

April frowned. "What?"

Olivia nodded her head to where she was looking, so April glanced in the same direction. She could see Dolph approaching the gorilla with a neutral expression on his face. Olivia glanced at her watch, and noticed that they still had over half an hour before the segment was to begin.

"He's early," she whispered. "I wonder if he'll even approach us."

"Guess we'll find out soon enough," April replied.

Each Diva remained calm despite their growing nervousness over being in the presence of an NXT Pro. Dolph reached the gorilla's entrance, and noticed the pair sitting off to the side.

"Are you two part of NXT?" he asked.

April nodded, but Olivia spoke up. "Yeah, we're two of the Rookies. The others are elsewhere, but they should be here soon, I think."

"Cool. Are either of you my Rookie?"

April shook her head, but Olivia lifted her arm up with a nod. "That'd be me," she revealed.

Dolph's face brightened up. "Oh, hi! I'm Nic Nemeth. It's nice to finally meet you."

"Nice to meet you, Nic," Olivia replied as they shook hands.

Just then, Primo approached the pair. "Are these some of the NXT contestants?"

"Yeah, and I happen to be your Rookie," April answered. "April Mendez."

"Nice to meet you, April. My name's Edwin."

"We'll give you guys some space," Nic said. He turned his attention to Olivia. "You okay with going in the gorilla?"

"Sure."

After Olivia met Edwin and said goodbye to him and April, she followed Nic into the gorilla. Many thoughts ran through her mind as she wondered how he would treat her.

 _I hope he'll be more focused on helping me win than trying to get me in his pants,_ she thought. _I shouldn't even think that way…that's not fair to him. I'll just treat him like I would treat any other male wrestler— respectfully and professionally, until he gives me a good reason not to._

Olivia took a seat on a large crate, and Nic sat beside her. He wore a kind smile as he stretched his arms out in front of him.

"So, Olivia," he began, "I watched your profile during the NXT season finale a few weeks ago."

"Oh, you did?" she asked. _This should be interesting_ , she added silently.

Nic nodded. "I was shocked when you said that you've been wrestling for ten years already! I think that makes you the most experienced Rookie competing. To be honest, I'm kind surprised that you're not on the main roster already."

"I really wanted to be in developmental for as long as I could," Olivia admitted. "I always want to improve my in-ring skills, and FCW's the place to do that. Also, I was worried that if I went straight to the main roster without going through FCW, it would rub the other Divas the wrong way."

"That makes sense. I didn't have a chance to watch any of your matches, so I'm curious— what's your in-ring style?"

"I'm a high flyer through and through. Besides winning, my ultimate goal is to be daring and pull off the kind of moves that make fans think, 'Whoa! How'd she do that?', or something to that effect. I know that's different from your in-ring style, but I think I can learn a lot from you."

Nic looked surprised. "A high flyer, huh? I'm excited for the challenge. You said you could learn a lot from me, but I think I'll learn a lot from you, too. I hope we'll be able to work well together— both on-camera and off."

"Me too," Olivia replied. "Oh, here come the others."

Both she and Nic watched as the remaining Rookies and Pros filled up the gorilla. Everyone was paired off appropriately, but seeing this suddenly made Olivia nervous. The first taping of NXT was fast approaching, and just knowing that made her bite her lip.

"Nervous?" Nic asked.

Olivia sighed. "Is it really obvious?"

"Not really. What's got you nervous, though? Just the idea of being on _Raw_ for the first time?"

"Yeah. I know I'm saying or doing anything, but…I just can't believe this is even happening."

Nic grinned. "Seeing you nervous is good 'cause it means that you're serious about wanting to make it into WWE. I always appreciate those that are just as passionate as me."

Hearing this made Olivia grin in return. _Maybe we can get along after all_ , she thought.

* * *

The segment went off without a hitch, much to Olivia's relief. Each promo had boasted about each Rookie's potential to win NXT and become the next WWE Diva, causing them to sound slightly repetitive in the process. It didn't take too long overall, so everyone returned backstage in a timely fashion.

"Did you enjoy being out there?" Nic asked as everyone spilled out of the gorilla.

"Oh my God, it was so cool to see all the fans!" Olivia exclaimed. "I really want to win because I've been working for so long to get here. I know I have a long way to go before I make it there— assuming I win, of course— but I'm ready to work my ass off."

"That's awesome. I wish we could talk some more, but I have to get ready for my match tonight. I'll see you at the first NXT taping, okay?"

"Sounds good. Good luck in your match."

Nic's previous grin widened to a full-blown smile. "Thank you."

Not long after everyone had dispersed in different directions, Olivia, April, and Celeste decided to stay at the arena to watch _Raw_. They found a small room away from the chaos, but chose to chat about the segment they'd just been in, as the next match had yet to begin.

"It was so cool to see all those people cheering!" Celeste remarked.

"That's basically my dream— fans cheering for me in the ring!" April exclaimed. "I'm still smiling like an idiot."

"Don't say it like that," Olivia said. "You have every right to be happy."

"Olivia's right," Celeste added. "Also, I'm excited to have Vickie as my Pro. She's been in this industry for so long that I think she'll be super helpful."

"It'll be interesting to see whether you and I will feud on-camera because of our Pros competing against each other despite their relationship," Olivia remarked.

"Oh, yeah! That was a nice twist for them to throw in there," April noted. "By the way, what do you think of Nic?"

"I think we'll get along. We share the same passion for wrestling, and he seems like a nice guy. But I'm not gonna lie— I plan to have my guard up around him for quite a while. His character has a playboy reputation, and I honestly don't know whether that follows him off-camera or not. I have no intention of making our relationship anything more than professional, and I want him to understand that."

"That's fair," Celeste said.

"Yeah, it is," April piped up. "Oh, _Raw_ 's about to start again. Shall we?"

The remaining women agreed to the idea and focused their attention on the TV monitor to watch the upcoming match.

* * *

 **There you go! I hope you guys enjoyed it. (:**

 **Review Responses:**

 ** _Guest_ : Thank you! I'm hoping that this chapter didn't disappoint!**

 **Please review, and don't forget to stay tuned for chapter 2!**

 _\- Elizabeth_


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing related to WWE.**

 **Please read & enjoy! :D**

* * *

The first NXT taping arrived quicker than Olivia anticipated. She hadn't spoken to Nic since they'd met, but she wasn't too anxious to do so. She figured he'd been too busy with his obligations on the main roster that he couldn't— or perhaps wouldn't— try to get in touch with her. She hadn't been able to give him her number so he could contact her, so that was another issue. But she kept herself busy by working out almost every day and hanging out with her fellow Rookies whenever the opportunity came around. She just wanted to enjoy herself before the competition threw everyone for a loop.

Olivia didn't arrive to the arena until the early evening, about an hour before the show was to begin. She'd been told the day before that she was to have a mixed tag match with Nic against April and her Pro, Edwin.

 _What a coincidence that we ended up facing each other first, rather than other people_ , she thought with amusement. Either someone had eavesdropped on their past conversation and passed it on to the right person, or the two Divas had simply gotten lucky. Regardless, Olivia was looking forward to tonight's match. Whether her Pro was also looking forward to it was a question only Nic could answer.

After arriving to the arena with April in tow, the Rookies headed off to the Divas' locker room to change into their ring gear. When they entered, they were surprised to see Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox inside, discussing their upcoming match. They stopped speaking as the Rookies entered. Both Divas smiled wide as they greeted the pair.

"You must be two of the Rookies," Kelly began. "I'm Barbara, but you can call me Barbie."

"And I'm Victoria," the second Pro added.

"Nice to meet you," April said.

"Yeah, it's very nice to meet you both," Olivia echoed.

Each Pro shook both women's hands.

"I take it you two are facing each other tonight?" Barbie inquired. "Victoria and I are facing each other with our Rookies tonight."

"Yeah, we have a mixed tag match with our Pros," April replied.

"Oh, cool!" Victoria replied. She narrowed her eyes at Olivia. "Wait…you're the one that's been wrestling for, like, ten years…right?"

Olivia nodded. "Correct."

Barbie's eyes widened. "I didn't realize that was you! That's…impressive."

"Thank you."

"She's quite good," April piped up.

"I'm sure she is," Victoria said in a dismissive manner. She paused to look at her phone. "Crap, I gotta go talk to Talent Relations now. Barbie, do you wanna come with me?"

"Of course!" Barbie replied. She glanced at the pair with a casual grin. "See you around."

The Divas were gone in a flash, leaving April and Olivia to exchange bewildered stares.

"What the hell was that all about?" April asked.

Olivia shrugged. "I don't know, and I frankly don't care."

April nodded before finally changing for her match. She compared her casual-looking outfit to her competitor's professionally made ring gear, and couldn't help but grin with slight envy.

"You always look so professional compared to me," she remarked.

"Oh, stop it! Your look really suits you, April. I would wear similar stuff, but I'm a creature of habit. Also, I wore this—" Olivia gestured to her bright red attire— "when I won a couple championship matches back in Mexico, so I like to think it's a bit of a good luck charm."

April rolled her eyes with a giggle. " _Wow._ "

"Shut up so we can get out of the locker room. I don't want to stay here in case Barbie and Victoria wanna come back in here."

"Yeah, I don't wanna deal with that crap again. Let's get out of here."

Both Rookies exited the locker room to a hallway already sprinkled with other people. Some looked like arena staff, while others appeared to be WWE staff. There didn't seem to be any Superstars, Divas, or other NXT Rookies who had arrived yet. Olivia suggested that they head to the gorilla area like they had done not too long ago, and April agreed. They found their same seats and began chatting about tonight's events that were to come.

"Some of the challenges sound so stupid already," April whined. "Capture the Flag? Really?!"

"I know I shouldn't think this way," Olivia began, "but I honestly don't care whether I win any challenges or not. I'd like to think our in-ring skills will matter more than the challenges we win. I'm sure winning a lot of them will help in some way, though."

April mused this for a moment. "That's very fair. I guess we should kinda care about them then."

"Perhaps. I'll try hard for some of them, but not all."

"That sounds like a plan! May I please join in?"

"Sure, why not? The more the merrier, I guess."

April laughed, and Olivia joined in a second later. But their laughter was cut short when the Bella Twins suddenly approached them from out of nowhere. Olivia stood up and offered each of them a handshake.

"You must be the Bella Twins," she said. "I'm Olivia Parker, one of the NXT Rookies."

"And I'm April Mendez," April chimed in. She'd also stood up to meet the pair of Pros.

The twins greeted April warmly, but seemed wary of Olivia. They both shook her hand, but didn't seem too thrilled to meet her.

"I see you two have a match tonight," Brie Garcia-Colace noted. "Are you facing each other?"

"Yeah, we have a mixed tag match with our Pros," April explained.

Nikki Garcia-Colace looked Olivia up and down with what looked like a disapproving glare. "That ring gear's almost as nice as what Brie and I wear."

"Oh, thanks! It's actually an old piece from a couple years ago. I just can't let go of it, I guess."

"I see. Well, we'll see you two around."

After the twins left, Olivia bit her lip as she took her seat.

"Seems like the Divas might have something against _you_ , rather than the both of us," April remarked while she sat down again.

"I'd rather not dwell on it," Olivia said. "I hope our Pros show up soon."

She got her wish a few minutes later— Nic and Edwin showed up in street clothes and found them outside the gorilla. They had to wear nice clothes until just before their match, while the Rookies had to wear ring gear most of the time.

April and Edwin excused themselves to a different room, so Olivia and Nic did the same. They were situated not far from the gorilla, meaning that they didn't have far to go to the ring.

"I'm sorry that we haven't spoken since _Raw_ ," Olivia said. "I didn't have a way to get a hold of you if need be; not that we needed to chat. Plus, I figured you were busy."

Nic chuckled. "It's alright. Yeah, I can be busy, but I'd never mind talking to you. By the way, your ring gear looks great!"

"Thank you. It's a couple years old, but I've worn it for a few of my favourite matches. That's why I still wear this particular set every now and then."

"Cool. So, are you excited for tonight's match?"

"Oh yeah. April and I have had a few matches both in and out of FCW, so I'm not too worried about us putting on a good show. Honestly, though…I'm nervous about impressing the Pros and the WWE Universe. And by Pros, I'm including you, of course."

Nic looked shocked. "Really? I thought you'd be so confident that I'd have to tell you to not be cocky."

"I'm not one to be cocky," Olivia confessed. "I've just never wrestled in WWE until tonight, and I'm also competing against other women to win a spot on the main roster."

"Okay, you make a good point. But you'll be fine," Nic said. "I got around to watching a few of your matches from FCW the other day, and you really are good!"

"Oh, wow…thank you for your kinds words," Olivia replied. "Let's hope that we kick ass out there tonight."

* * *

After another introduction to season three of NXT; the Dance Off Challenge (won by Naomi); the match between Naomi, Kelly Kelly, Maxine, and Alicia Fox (won by the latter pairing); and the Capture the Flag Challenge (also won by Naomi), it was finally time for Olivia and Dolph to have their match against AJ and Primo.

"If the crowd boos the hell out of you, it's most likely because of me being a heel," he cautioned. They were in the gorilla, waiting for their cue.

"That's okay. It'll be different from all the cheering I'm used to 'cause I've always been a babyface."

Dolph couldn't help but laugh as they made their entrance. Just as he'd predicted, the fans booed him without mercy. But a fair amount also cheered, though it was impossible to tell if they were cheering for Dolph or Olivia.

"The following is a mixed tag-tea match, scheduled for one fall! Introducing first— Dolph Ziggler, and Olivia!"

As she walked past the Pros sitting atop the ramp, Olivia could see out of the corner of her eye that the remaining Pros didn't look pleased to see her competing. Even Vickie Guerrero looked annoyed, but Olivia figured that her reasons were different.

 _It's just because I'm Dolph's Pro_ , she reasoned as she entered the ring.

Primo's music played a few minutes later. The crowd cheered as he and AJ began making their way to the ring.

"And their opponents— Primo, and AJ!"

After getting inside the ring and posing for a moment, the bell rang. Each team discussed briefly who to send out first. It was decided that the women would go at it first, leaving the men to wait to be tagged in at some point.

Olivia and AJ circled each other for a couple minutes, but began to grapple soon after. Olivia got her opponent backed up against a turnbuckle, but quickly backed away at the referee's insistence. She then executed a monkey flip that sent AJ flying back to the middle of the ring. As she tried to recover, Olivia ran the ropes and performed a front dropkick right to her face. That laid AJ out, so Olivia executed a standing shooting star press, and then went for the cover. However, AJ kicked out at one and a half.

"C'mon, AJ!" Primo exclaimed.

"Keep at her!" Dolph shouted.

Olivia dragged AJ to her feet by her arm, but she managed to twist her opponent's arm into an uncomfortable position. Olivia jumped and flipped a couple times to break the hold, but to no avail. So she hopped up on the top of a turnbuckle, gingerly walked along the rope, and then jumped, sending AJ flying from an arm drag. As she stumbled about from the move, Olivia ran the ropes for the second time and pulled off an excellent tilt-a-whirl arm drag. AJ managed to fly in the direction of her Pro, so she tagged him in without hesitation.

 _Damn it_ , Olivia thought as she silently went to her corner of the ring.

Dolph gave his Rookie an impressed smile before he and Primo circled the ring. They soon locked up, only for Dolph to get his opponent in a side headlock. After a couple minutes in this position, Dolph threw Primo to the ropes, who bounced off with great momentum. Dolph dropkicked him to put him down, and then proceeded to elbow drop the hell out of his chest. After multiple elbow drops from a standing position, he concluded with a jumping elbow drop. He went for the pin immediately after, but Primo kicked out at two.

Primo began to sit up, but that proved to be a mistake when Dolph locked in a sleeper hold. The crowd slowly clapped for Primo to encourage him to get out of the submission. Meanwhile, AJ joined in with the crowd's clapping for a minute, but then outstretched a hand out so that Primo could tag her back in the match.

"Come on, Primo!" she cried.

Slowly but surely, Primo elbowed Dolph's stomach enough to get out of the hold. He then performed a legsweep, followed by a leg drop. He then got on the top rope and executed a diving crossbody. He went for the cover, but only got a two count.

"You got this, Dolph!" Olivia shouted.

Dolph was helped to his feet by Primo, but Dolph created some separation after performing a sitout facebuster. As the Pros reeled from the move, they each crawled to their respective Rookies. Each one had their arm out, eager to get back into the match. It was Dolph who made the tag first, giving both Rookies permission to hop into the ring.

The crowd cheered as Olivia performed several clotheslines on AJ, who got up after each one. After the last one still couldn't keep her down, Olivia executed an enzuigiri to her left temple. AJ hit the mat hard, so Olivia went for the pin. But Primo broke up the match, enraging her.

"Are you serious?!" she exclaimed to an amused Primo.

But Dolph didn't stand by; he sneaked up on Primo and executed his finishing move, the _Zig Zag_. Both Superstars rolled out of the ring just as AJ got Olivia in a schoolgirl roll-up. Olivia kicked out at two, but received a kick to the stomach for her troubles. She recovered quickly, and made her way to the closest set of ring ropes. She jumped on them and pulled off a slingshot crossbody. It didn't keep AJ down, but it did disorient her. Olivia use the opportunity to go on top of the first turnbuckle she spotted, where she stood and waited for the right moment. As soon as AJ stumbled in her direction, Olivia executed her finishing move— a shooting star DDT that she called _Falling Star_. The move made the crowd gasp in awe, and they joined the referee in the three count. They were cheering before the bell rang.

"Here are your winners— Dolph Ziggler, and Olivia!"

Dolph slipped back into the ring and helped his Rookie to her feet. Once the referee let go of their raised arms, Olivia offered her Pro a congratulatory handshake. The gesture stunned Dolph— he'd expected her to hug him immediately after the win. Still, he happily accepted the gesture before raising her arm in victory.

…

" _Oh my GOD, you killed it out there!" Dolph exclaimed. He and his Rookie had made it backstage after their match, both ecstatic of their first win in NXT,_

" _Thanks, Dolph," Olivia replied in a sheepish manner. "Quick question— was there anything I could've improved on? And please don't sugar coat it."_

 _Dolph thought for a moment. "Honestly? Not really. You did a great job keeping up with AJ. Maybe be careful that you don't get distracted, I guess? You honestly didn't do too bad out there tonight. I have to admit, I'm kinda impressed."_

" _Thank you. I appreciate you telling me."_

" _EXCUSE ME!"_

 _The pair looked over to a familiar woman giving the Rookie a jealous look._

 _Rather than getting defensive or even pointing it out, Olivia warmly smiled. "Hi, Vickie! It's so nice to finally meet you," she greeted._

" _Hello," Vickie replied. She looked the younger woman up and down. "Good job tonight."_

" _Thank you. It helps that I have a smart Pro who's also really talented. You're lucky to have him as your boyfriend."_

 _Both Vickie and Dolph balked at what she'd said, but Olivia didn't flinch. She shook Vickie's hand without dimming her smile once._

" _Oh, thanks," Dolph replied._

" _I'm sorry, would you like me to leave you two be?" she asked._

" _Please," Vickie spat out._

 _Olivia high tailed it out of there, leaving Vickie alone with her boyfriend. Most of her distain was now confusion, but still had a sour look on her face._

" _Look, I didn't expect Olivia to say any of that, or that handshake after our match," Dolph admitted with a chuckle._

" _Yeah, neither did I," Vickie remarked. "I still don't trust her, Dolph. If she tries to make a move on you, she'd gonna pay big time!"_

 _Dolph shrugged off his girlfriend's threats. "Whatevs."_

" _I mean it!" Vickie growled. She scoffed before turning on her heel and stomping away._

…

"And CUT! That's it, thank you."

Olivia laughed as she reappeared alongside Nic and Vickie. They were also laughing about the backstage segment they'd just filmed.

"That was great," Nic commented.

"Thanks! I thought it was well done, too," Olivia remarked. "And it really is nice to finally meet you, Vickie."

Vickie's smile widened. "Thank you! You did well out there."

"I agree," Nic added. "You killed it."

"Thank you," Olivia replied. "If you don't mind, I'd like to change out of my ring gear. May I be excused?"

"Yeah, totally. See you later."

Olivia headed to the Divas' locker room a moment later, suddenly nervous at the possibility of running into a female Pro. However, April and Celeste turned out to be the only ones inside. Olivia hugged April, but only fist bumped Celeste so to not get sweat on her.

"The crowd loved the match!" Celeste exclaimed. "The other Rookies and I were on the edge of our seats, too. You two freaking killed it again."

"Thank you," Olivia replied. She gave her other friend a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry you lost."

"It's okay," April said, "'cause I'll beat you next time."

Celeste laughed. "Seriously, though…between us, I thought that was better than the other tag match."

"Please don't go around saying that," Olivia begged. "I'm beginning to suspect that the Barbie, Victoria, and the twins don't like me."

"Oh, shit…I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize; it is what it is. I can handle myself. anyways"

"I just don't get it," April piped up. "They were nothing but nice to me, but to you, they were so…unwelcoming."

Olivia shrugged. "Who knows? Thank God tonight's taping is done. I just wanna get to my room so I can crash."

"I'm ready to go. Celeste, did you wanna join us?"

"I would," she replied, "but I promised Trinity that I'd ride with her, so my shit's already in her car."

"That's fine," Olivia said. "We'll see you soon then, okay?"

"Sure. Bye!"

Olivia and April left their friend in the Divas' locker room and started in the direction of the arena's doors.

"Olivia!"

The woman in question spun around, as did April. To their joint surprise, Nic ran up with a scrap piece of paper in hand. He handed it off to his Rookie, who reluctantly took it. It was his cell phone number scribbled in black pen ink.

"In case you wanna go over scripts, talk about upcoming matches, or just shoot the shit," he explained.

"Ah, yes," Olivia said, "I forgot to. Thank you. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah. Have a goodnight, Liv."

Olivia raised her eyebrows. "Liv?"

"Uh…sorry, I thought—"

"It's okay, you can call me that. I don't mind."

"Oh, thank God," Nic exhaled.

"You're good…for now," Olivia joked. "Thanks again."

"You're welcome. Night!"

As Olivia and April exited the stadium, they gave each other odd looks. It wasn't until they got in the car that they laughed over the awkward exchange.

"Don't worry, I won't call you Liv," April said.

"I don't care if you do or not," Olivia revealed. "Jesus, what a weird night it's been! Let's get the hell out of here."

With that, April turned the car on and drove straight to the hotel so they could get some much-needed sleep.

* * *

 **There you go! I hope you all enjoyed it (:**

 **Review Responses:**

 ** _TheAdamBomb505_ : Wow, thank you! I hope you enjoy the rest of this fanfic!**

 **Please review, and don't forget to stay tuned for chapter 3! :D**

 _\- Elizabeth_


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing that's owned by WWE.**

 **Please live & enjoy! :D**

* * *

Following the first taping of NXT, the rest of Olivia's week had been somewhat uneventful. She had a couple days to fly home to Tampa Florida, where she tidied up her apartment and relaxed from being on the road. But she also used the opportunity to drive down to FCW to wrestle some of her competitors. She had mock matches with both Trinity and Brittany, and had also taught the former some new highflying moves that she could add to her repertoire. She loved heading to FCW so that she could get improve her in-ring skills, especially with women she was competing against. Any time spent in a wrestling ring was never wasted; it was always fun to help improve one another.

Olivia soon left Tampa to be back on the road, this time flying off to Detroit. The day before the taping, she received an unexpected text from Nic as she relaxed in her hotel room late in the morning.

 **Nic: Hey, Liv! Are you in Detroit already?**

 **Olivia: Hi! Yes, I've been here for a few hours. Are you?**

 **Nic: Yeah. I was hoping we could hang out sometime today. Maybe we could grab lunch or something?**

 **Olivia: Sure, let's do that. Name a time and a place, and I'll be there.**

 **Nic: Awesome! Is 12 okay? If you're staying at the local Marriott, we can meet in the lobby. I'm staying there for the week.**

 **Olivia: I'm staying there, too! I'll see you in the lobby for 12 then.**

 **Nic: See you soon!**

With their conversation over for the time being, Olivia realized that she had about half an hour before she had to be in the lobby. She peeled herself off the bed to change into nicer clothes. Remembering that the weather had been rather chilly, she settled on black skinny jeans, a plain light pink T-shirt, black cardigan, and black flats. She quickly fixed her hair as a grin spread on her face. She found herself looking forward to having some one-on-one time with her Pro away from NXT.

When Olivia made it to the lobby several minutes later, she noticed that Nic was already waiting for her. She hurried towards him with an apologetic smile.

"Hey, I'm sorry for making you wait!"

"You didn't make me wait long," Nic revealed, "and I was early anyways. Don't worry about it. How are you?"

Olivia visibly relaxed. "I'm good, thank you. How are you?"

"Great! I know this was kinda last minute, but I appreciate you agreeing to this. I promise not to hit on you…much."

"As long as you can handle me doing the same to you, I don't mind."

Nic blinked hard at her response, causing a laugh to escape her. He soon chuckled, clearly impressed by her quick comeback.

"That was a good one," Olivia remarked, still laughing.

"It really was," Nic replied. "Do you wanna head out now?"

"Sure, let's go. Thanks again for doing this."

"Yeah, no problem, Liv. Wait— am I allowed to call you that still?"

"I'm fine with it, I swear."

Once they got into Nic's rental car, both he and Olivia drove off to a diner not too far from their hotel while making conversation about travelling to Detroit for NXT.

 _I told myself I was gonna have my guard up around him, yet it hasn't happened. But he's so chill and nice…I don't wanna be rude or cold_ , Olivia thought. _I guess I should just relax and take my chances with Nic. Hopefully, he'll be able to not flirt with me…at least for a little while._

The two were seated quickly, ordered their drinks, and then continued to chat as if they'd already known each other for years.

"I know I kinda already told you this last week, but you were awesome in your debut match! You truly impressed me," Nic said.

Olivia's jaw dropped. "Seriously? Thank you! I didn't expect you to say that much. I mean, I'd like to think you'd let me know if I did good or bad last week, but that's a high compliment from someone who's been in WWE for as long as you have."

"I knew you were gonna be good, given what I've seen in your FCW matches beforehand," Nic revealed, "but you did even better than I'd expected."

"I'm glad that you're going off those matches as examples of my in-ring work. The last thing you need to see is some of my indie stuff. If it's more recent, then it's not too shabby. Otherwise…please don't go looking for it on the internet."

"Too late! A couple nights ago I decided to look up some matches of yours from the independent circuit. As many as I could find, really."

"That makes you sound less like a mentor and more like a stalker."

Nic's laugh was bashful yet boisterous. "It sounds a little creepy, doesn't it?"

Their conversation was paused when their server came by to drop off their drinks and take their orders.

"It doesn't bother me," Olivia insisted. "Although I kinda wanna know what matches you've watched."

"Some from TNA, a few from AAA, and a couple from smaller promotions," Nic answered. "The ones from AAA were my favourite, by far. They were the most entertaining to watch."

"Nice! That isn't as bad as I thought. Those ones were better."

"Okay, now I wanna look up more of your matches."

"Please don't. I don't want to sound conceited or whatever, but I've grown a lot in the ten years I've been wrestling."

"Oh, I believe that. The only thing is…because you've been wrestling for so long and because our styles are different, I'm not sure there's anything skills-wise that I can teach you."

The revelation didn't surprise Olivia, but it was slightly disappointing. She bit her lip to maintain a neutral expression. "I kinda wondered if that was gonna be an issue."

Nic's smile faded. "I feel bad just saying that, Liv. Wait— are you really okay with me calling you that?"

"Yes, of course! If I wasn't, I would've told you the first time you called me by that. Anyways, you shouldn't feel bad; it is what it is."

"Yeah, but I don't know what I can teach you. I also watched a couple promos of yours, and they were solid, too. You know how to entertain the crowd, you have the it factor…there's nothing to really work on. You're far more experienced than the other Rookies."

"It's a gift and a curse," Olivia concluded. "But I want to keep working on my in-ring skills. If nothing else, it'll keep me fresh for the weeks when I don't have matches."

Upon hearing the suggestion, Nic's smile returned. "That's a smart idea! Wait— there's one issue with that."

"I know what you're referring to, but it's okay. I've trained with men before, so it's nothing new to me. I'm not scared of facing you, even if you're not a high flyer."

"Are you sure? I'm sure I can convince a Diva from the main roster to train with you. I can't imagine any of them saying no."

The offer was a kind one, but it wasn't ideal. Olivia promptly recalled how the female Pros— with the exception of Vickie— had responded so coldly when she'd met them. There was no doubt they would've gossiped to the remaining Divas on the main roster about…well, whatever issues they had with her. She didn't bring up her past interactions with Victoria, Barbie, or the twins to Nic because he didn't need to hear about it.

"I appreciate it, but I'd rather not practice with any Divas," Olivia confessed. She paused as she and Nic received their food. "I'd rather wrestle them once I make it to the main roster; assuming I win, of course."

"That's a good point," Nic said. "Alright, then, how about this— we'll roll around in the ring on weeks you don't have a match on NXT. On the weeks you _do_ have a match…I don't know. I was gonna suggest working on other stuff like cutting promos and whatnot, but you seem to have a solid grasp on everything else. Unless I'm missing something?"

Olivia mused the question as she swallowed a mouthful of food. "There's nothing else I'm more concerned about than maintaining my in-ring skills. Everything else is second to me, and I do feel confident in those abilities anyways. Besides, I'm sure you don't wanna spend every waking moment with your NXT Rookie."

"Well…no. But I'd like to hang out with you so that we can talk about what's coming up with each taping. Not just matches, but challenges and backstage segments, too. I think it'll help us stay on the same page."

"Oh, I see! I'm sorry I misunderstood you. That sounds like a good idea, too. Perhaps a meal out the day after tapings? We'll have had some chance to sleep after the night before, but it should still be fresh on our minds by then. And yes, I'd be happy to pay, too."

Nic's chuckle was of bemusement. "How considerate."

"I try."

Once again, the pair laughed before continuing to eat lunch at the increasingly busy diner. They finished not long after, with Nic insisting on paying for the whole meal.

"Because I asked you to hang out with me last minute, I'd figured I pay as a way to make it up to you," he explained.

"Thank you," Olivia replied. "I'll be sure to return the favour in the future. I was told yesterday that I don't have a match on this week's episode, so I guess you and I should get in a ring sooner than later."

Nic nodded. "I heard about that, and I'm kinda surprised 'cause you killed it last week. I guess they're rewarding you with a break this week?"

"I think they want the rest of the rookies to make their wrestling debuts this week," Olivia mused. "Celeste, Živilė, and Brittany have yet to have matches on NXT."

"Oh, yeah, that's true. I didn't think of that," Nic admitted.

"So, your suggestion of doing in-ring work on weeks when I don't have a match— do you want that to start this week? And if so, when?"

"Yeah, we should. I have some media stuff to do this afternoon and then tape _Raw_ tonight, so today won't work. And then Tuesday will be busy between taping NXT and _SmackDown_ …I'm not usually on that show, but they want me on this week."

"That's okay, I understand. I know you're super busy, which is why I asked you what day or time works for you."

"Well, thank you for being so understanding. Now that I think about it, Tuesday could work if we get to the arena a few hours before NXT begins. Is that alright with you?"

"That works for me. Thank you, Nic. I hope it's not a nuisance."

Nic chuckled at the idea. "I wouldn't have suggested it in the first place if that was the case, right?"

"Uh…yeah, good point. Sorry, that was such a dumb thing to say."

"It's okay."

The pair left the diner not long after Nic had paid for their meals. They returned to the hotel, where he dropped Olivia off at the front.

"Thanks again for the meal. I'll see you tomorrow! Oh, and good luck on _Raw_ tonight."

"You're welcome, Liv. And thanks! See you at the arena tomorrow."

Nic swiftly left for his first media appearance of the day, so Olivia entered the hotel and then her room to digest everything that they'd discussed.

 _That went WAY better than I thought! We definitely get along better than I do with the Divas_ , she thought as she relaxed on the bed. _It'll be interesting to see if he can actually teach me a few in-ring things._

* * *

 **There you go! I hope you all truly enjoyed it. (:**

 **Please review, and please don't forget to stay tuned for chapter 4!**

 _\- Elizabeth_


	5. Chapter 4

**Hey, guys! If you've been reading this fanfic for a while, you may have noticed that I changed the spelling of Dolph Ziggler's real name. I saw it spelled without the k recently, and have seen it spelled that way in other places. Granted, I've also seen the original spelling multiple times, so I'm not entirely sure which one he really goes by. So with all that said, I've changed it to Nic from here on out (and fixed this in the previous chapters, too). But I'm still referring to the same guy, I promise!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to WWE.**

 **Anyways, please read & enjoy! :D**

* * *

True to her promise hours earlier, Olivia and Nic arrived at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit for the second taping of NXT. Olivia had explained to her regular travelling partner, April, what she and her Pro were up to that day, worried that her good friend would be upset that she'd be travelling with him instead. But April had been understanding, and was even giddy for her friend's change of plans.

"You think he's hot," she'd joked. They were in her room discussing everything.

Olivia had laughed. "This is just strictly work."

April believed her, but still gave her one last parting shot. "Sure it is!"

Such a remark could've rubbed anyone the wrong way, but Olivia knew that April was simply teasing. She brushed it off so that they exchanged goodbyes before she left.

Olivia arrived at the arena several hours before any tapings were to start that evening. She changed out of her street clothes into black workout leggings, a black T-shirt, and black-and-white running shoes, before strolling to the ring. There was already one set up, but Nic had yet to arrive. So she took her time stretching and running the ropes as a warm up. He showed up a few minutes later, wearing workout clothes as well.

"Now it's my turn to have to wait," Olivia teased.

Nic laughed. "I hope you didn't have to wait too long, ."

"Not at all. So…do you want to lock up and then go from there?"

"Sure, let's do that. I'm ready when you are."

The pair promptly circled each other the ring before locking up. Nic managed to get Olivia in a side headlock not long after, but she kicked his stomach in response. Having not expected the move, his grip loosened just enough that she broke out of the hold. She grabbed one hand and twisted his arm in an uncomfortable fashion. He jumped and flipped a few times to free himself, but her grip remained firm. She threw him to the ropes, which he bounced off with decent momentum. He bounced off the second rope due to her dodging an incoming clothesline, but then he received a dropkick in the middle of the ring. He did a nip-up a split second later.

"Damn, you're really good," Olivia remarked.

"So are you," Nic pointed out. "That was good. Your lock-up was strong, and you got out of that headlock faster than I expected. I also liked that you didn't dropkick me the first time I bounced off the ropes."

"Wow, thank you! Want me to try out some arm drags?"

"Sure! Do the one that you did in our last match; the tilt-a-whirl arm drag."

"Sounds good."

Nic threw Olivia to the ropes, which she bounced off before being lifted by her Pro. She pulled off her tilt-a-whirl arm drag with little difficulty, causing Nic to go flying to the middle of the ring.

"That's good," he remarked as he picked himself off the canvas. "You're definitely mindful of your speed and when I grabbed you. It's almost like you've done that move a few times before!"

"Just a couple thousand or so times before."

The pair laughed before Nic suggested another move. "Let's do the monkey flip now."

Olivia Irish whipped him into a turnbuckle, and then executed the move to send him flying once again. This time, she walked over and pulled him back to his feet. This gesture stunned him due to their stark difference in size.

"I'm stronger than I look," she laughed.

"I noticed!" Nic chuckled.

Their laughter died in an instant upon hearing footsteps approaching the ring. Both Rookie and Pro glanced over to see Brittany, Brie, and Nikki walking towards them.

"Did you catch any of that?" Olivia asked.

"Just the monkey flip. But it still looked really good!" Brittany exclaimed.

"Yeah, that was good," Nikki added in a fake pleased voice.

"Thank you," Olivia replied.

"Do you wanna join in?" Nic asked.

"No, thank you!" Brie replied in a rush. "Nikki and I need to talk about your match tonight, Brittany."

Brittany looked disappointed, but maintained her smile nonetheless. "Oh, okay. Uh…I'll see you later, Olivia."

Olivia didn't bother hiding her discontent. "See you later."

Nic gave his Rookie a frown as the trio left. "That was weird."

"I have no idea what's wrong," Olivia insisted after the pair was gone. "Brittany and I get along, but the twins…I don't know. It's probably nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing."

"I'm sure they just want Brittany to stay focused for her match tonight. She's making her debut, so they'll wanna discuss strategy. We kinda talked about my style and whatnot before my match."

Nic wasn't convinced, but decided to drop the matter altogether. He glanced at his phone for the time before speaking. "I guess you're right. We should get ready for NXT now 'cause the taping starts in about half an hour."

"Good call," Olivia replied. "Thanks again for doing this, Nic. I really do appreciate it."

"Yeah, anytime, Liv. I'll see you in a few."

"Sounds good!"

Olivia left the ring alone, with Nic staying behind to chat with a producer or two about who knows what. She popped into the Divas' locker room to change into a nice outfit. Since she didn't have a match, she opted to skip hr ring gear in favour of a black ripped T-shirt, black shorts, and bright red Converses. She was brushing her short dark red hair just as Brittany approached from behind.

"Hey, I'm sorry about what happened earlier."

"Don't worry, I know it wasn't you."

Brittany slowly nodded. "I asked them what was wrong, but they wouldn't say."

"That doesn't surprise me," Olivia admitted. "Brie and Nikki knows that we're close— closer than you are to them, anyways— and that would lead to rumours spreading. They already are anyways, but whatever. Anyways, are you excited for tonight?"

"Oh, yeah!" Brittany exclaimed. Her previous concerns vanished as excitement overtook her. "I have my match against Celeste, which is gonna be good. You don't have a match, right?"

Olivia shook her head. "That's why I'm wearing this instead of ring gear. I'm hoping April won't mind if I wear Converses, too."

"Hope April doesn't mind what now?" the woman in question inquired as she entered the locker room. She spotted Olivia's concern before it was mentioned. "I love the outfit! You can wear Converses as long as they aren't black."

"Duly noted," Olivia remarked with an amused smirk.

* * *

"It's time for…the Joke-Off Challenge!"

The audience applauded, but Olivia felt her heart sink just enough to dim her phony grin. She was the furthest thing from a comedian, yet now she was supposed to tell a joke that could make both the WWE Universe and the Pros laugh?

 _This is so stupid_ , she thought as she shifted her weight from one foot to the next, _but I need to try, or else I'll get booed so damn hard._

One by one, each Rookie presented a terrible joke to the audience and Pros. The reactions ranged from mild laughter at best to relentless booing at worst. Being last meant that Olivia got to watch her fellow Rookies fall short of impressing the WWE Universe or Pros. She found herself looking at Dolph out of the corner of her eye as AJ continued her lame joke, and noticed how bored he appeared to be.

 _He's so good at being funny, from what I've seen on "Raw" and "SmackDown" … I probably won't make him laugh. But I might be able to get everyone else to laugh depending on what my joke is about…_

An idea formed in Olivia's head, promptly cutting off her train of thought. She couldn't stop smirking as the last of the remaining Rookies told her dumb joke. The audience was still booing as NXT host Matt Striker approached with a microphone in hand.

"Last but not least, we have Olivia! Olivia, how do you feel about your sense of humour?" Matt asked.

"Okay, if I'm being completely honest," she answered. "Whether anyone else wants to agree with me is for them to decide."

The response stunned Matt, but he shook it off quickly. "Alright then, good luck!"

Once the mic was in her hand, Olivia gripped it tight and steadied herself. She didn't look back at the Rookies, Pros, the commentators, or Matt; she focused solely on the audience and the camera staring directly at her.

"So," she began, "I'm aware that my Pro, Dolph Ziggler, thinks of himself as a great comedian."

"That's 'cause I am one!" Dolph shouted.

Olivia frowned in confusion. "I'm sorry, I don't recall _you_ being the one attempting to tell a joke or two."

The audience gasped and laughed at the insult in an instant. Matt and the Rookies began to laugh in the ring, while the Pros sitting alongside Dolph at the top of the ramp snickered. Dolph however tried to brush off his Rookie's words.

"Look," Olivia continued, "I could make jokes about Dolph all day! From his fried blonde hair that looks like it hasn't been washed in days…or his clothes, which makes him look like a boyband reject. But the one thing I won't make fun of about him is his girlfriend, Vickie."

Upon hearing this revelation, the audience booed her. But Olivia raised her hand to prove that she'd yet to make her point. Most of them quieted down, though a couple continued anyways.

"Vickie gets a ton of crap already, even though she's a good manager! If anything, I feel bad for her. I mean…she has to manage a massive ego with a loud mouth and over-the-top appearance already! And that's just referring to Dolph!"

Again, the audience erupted with gasps and laughs at the expense of her scowling Pro. He shook his head in disbelief, while Vickie seemed torn between wanting to laugh and wanting to slap Olivia across the face. But before the Rookie could carry on, a buzzer went off to signal that her time was up. She handed the microphone back to a chuckling Matt.

"Thank you, Olivia. Now, let's see which joke the WWE Universe liked the most!" he announced.

Matt then went before each Rookie to get the audience's reaction to their respective jokes. Each response was filled with booing, with the exception of Kaitlyn. Even then, she received a pathetic amount of cheers. As soon as her approached Olivia, the arena cheered loud enough to declare a clear winner.

"And the winner of the Joke-Off Challenge is…Olivia!"

The audience cheered while Olivia smiled wide with delight and relief. She was delighted to actually have a challenge win under her belt, but was also relieved that making fun of her Rookie had paid off with the WWE Universe. She was sure that Dolph was going to have a few choice words with her, but ignored the worry so that she could enjoy this moment for as long as possible.

…

 _Dolph didn't have a chance to confront his Rookie over what she'd said about him during the Joke-Off Challenge for a while. He had to observe Jamie and Kaitlyn's match before he could make it backstage to look for Olivia. He found her chatting away with AJ about the aforementioned match between their competitors. AJ's eyes held nervousness, but Olivia seemed as calm as she'd been during the challenge._

" _Oh, hey Dolph!" she greeted._

" _Hi," AJ chimed in. "I'll just be going now, so that you two can chat."_

 _She darted away before Olivia could say goodbye, much to her dismay. Dolph stood in front of his Rookie with crossed arms and a prominent frown._

" _Is something wrong?"_

 _Dolph scoffed. "You've got a lot of nerve saying that crap about me."_

" _You're offended? I'm shocked," Olivia remarked._

" _Don't patronize me!"_

" _I wasn't trying to... I'm actually surprised that you're upset 'cause I thought you were tougher than that. I could've been harsher about several things, but I clearly didn't go that way. That's because a) I respect you as my Pro, b) I respect you as an entertainer, and c) I don't want Vickie to kill me, especially since I'm on her bad side just for being your Rookie."_

 _Dolph chuckled at her explanation. "You say you respect me both as your Pro and as an entertainer, but you didn't show it."_

" _I thought I proved it last week, when I impressed you during our match against AJ and Primo? Or were you simply lying to make me feel confident in the ring? And if I were you, Dolph, I'd think_ very _carefully before answering."_

 _Dolph seemed to be at a loss for words— something that he wasn't known for. He hadn't lied when he'd said that she'd done well in her first match. Also, she had asked for his feedback afterwards and had seemed genuinely concerned about impressing him. Maybe she'd only used those jokes in a desperate attempt to win tonight's challenge. The chances of her telling the truth were stronger than he cared to admit. He sighed before speaking again._

" _Like I said, you've got a lot of nerve, Olivia. Be careful, or else it'll come back to haunt you."_

" _I'm willing to take my chances."_

 _Olivia's smirk remained as she sauntered off, leaving Dolph to absorb not only her words, but how she'd refused to back down to him._

…

"And CUT! Thank you, guys."

With another backstage segment complete, Olivia approached Nic with the same smirk on her fair-skinned face. "I honestly had no idea what the hell to say out there, so I decided on a whim to pick on you."

"I noticed," Nic chuckled. "I'm honestly not upset about any of it, though. You made fun of two heels that the WWE Universe hate the most— that was smart."

"Thanks. It seemed like a good idea, and I'm glad it paid off."

"It was smart, even if certain people don't agree."

Olivia laughed. "I was so worried to hear what you'd think!"

Nic soon joined in on her laughter before focusing back to the conversation. "What are you up to for the rest of the night?"

"I'm gonna watch the rest of the show with April and Celeste. I take it you'll be out on the ramp, watching the other matches?"

"Yeah, that sounds right. So, I guess I'll see you later tonight? If not, I'll see you another time."

"Sounds good, Liv. See ya later!"

The pair went their separate ways, with Nic returning to the ramp while Olivia headed to the Divas' locker room to fix her hair and makeup. Brie and Nikki were the only ones also inside, sans their Rookie. They were also fixing their makeup while chatting away. They saw Olivia as she entered, and immediately ceased speaking.

 _This is ridiculous,_ Olivia thought as she began digging through her belongings. _I need to know what the hell's going on._

With that in mind, she stopped going through her things just as the twins were putting things away in their respective bags. She approached the pair, startling them.

"I'm sorry for scaring you," she began, "but I just wanted to apologize in case I said or did something to make you feel…uncomfortable, if you will. But I am curious about what it is that set you guys off when you met me."

The twins exchanged uncertain looks, as if they were reluctant to tell the truth.

"I'm not looking for a fight, I swear," Olivia added. "I'm just a little confused about what's going on, and I was hoping to clear the air. I really want you both to be honest with me."

"Are you sure about that?" Nikki challenged.

"You might not like what we'll say," Brie piped up.

Olivia couldn't help but snicker. "Look— I may be rather new to WWE, but I've been wrestling for a long time. I know how veterans like to remind newbies of their place and try to intimidate them. But I'm not one to be intimidated by anyone; even if they're bigger, stronger, or have been with a company longer than me. Don't take it personal because I feel that way about everyone I meet. My point is this— if you're trying to intimidate me, then I suggest you quit now because it won't work on me."

Again, the twins exchanged faces at one another. Except this time, their expressions were less uncertain and more pissed. It was Brie who responded first.

"You don't run this place."

"I never said I did," Olivia countered, "and I have no intentions of doing so."

"Listen," Nikki snapped, "just be grateful that Nic's your Pro instead of us 'cause you're not the type of Diva we'd want to help win NXT."

"Okay, then."

Sensing that this confrontation was going nowhere, the twins backed off on the Rookie. They stomped out of the Divas' locker room, almost walking into April as they did so. She watched them leave before giving Olivia a confused look.

"I was trying to figure out what they're problem is with me," she explained, "and I think I have a small idea of what it might be."

"What do you think it is?" April asked.

"Jealousy. I have far more wrestling experience than them, and they probably think that I wanna come in and change the Divas' division."

"When have you ever said that?!"

"I never did, which is why this shouldn't be a problem in the first place." Olivia paused to sigh heavily. "Talk about stupid."

"No kidding!" April exclaimed. "But try to not think about it tonight 'cause you won the Joke-Off Challenge! Congrats!"

Olivia sensed her friend's sarcasm right off the bat. "I still can't believe I won that."

"Hey, it was _way_ funnier than my dumb blonde joke."

"Well…okay, sure, I'll take it. Let's hope the next challenges aren't as awful. But if I'm being honest, I have a feeling they'll be just as bad, if not worse."

"Oh, I believe you. Now, let's go watch the rest of the show 'cause Celeste's match is gonna start soon!"

Olivia brightened up. "That sounds like a great idea."

The pair raced out to watch their friend's debut match on NXT, as well as the rest of tonight's taping.

* * *

 **There you go! I hope you all enjoyed it. (:**

 **Please review, and don't forget to stay tuned for chapter 5!**

 _\- Elizabeth_


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing that's owned by WWE.**

 **Please read & enjoy! :D**

* * *

The third episode of NXT was planned to take place in Bloomington, Illinois, about six hours from the site of last week's taping. Olivia drove to U.S. Cellular Coliseum with April that evening, each woman practically bouncing in their seat. They both had matches that night against different Rookies— Olivia was facing Brittany, while April was going up against Karlee. They arrived at the arena moments later before going to the Divas' locker room, where they quickly realized that they were the first to arrive.

"Wanna roll around in the ring for a little bit?" Olivia offered.

April nodded. "I love that idea!"

After changing into their respective ring gear, the two Rookies strolled to the ring that had just been set up for the show. They began to stretch inside the squared circle.

"How do you feel about your match tonight?" Olivia asked.

"Good," April answered. "Karlee's an alright wrestler, so I think we'll be able to entertain the crowd. How are you feeling about your match?"

"Okay. Brittany's not too bad a wrestler, but I'm worried about the twins," Olivia confessed. "After last week's spat, I have a bad feeling that they'll try to mess up the match on my end. I'd rather lose because of Brittany's skills than because of Nikki and Brie's antics."

"Yeah, that makes sense. But I don't think they'd do that 'cause they're babyfaces on TV— it'd be so out of character for them to do such a thing. They might not like you, but I don't think they'd risk getting into trouble over something so silly."

"That's a good point. Nic also mentioned after our first match that I can't get distracted. Not that your Pro's stunt was super distracting, but the twins could be."

"I'm sure they won't do anything dumb. And if they do…I'd like to think Nic would give him a piece of his mind about it."

Olivia mused this for a moment. "I didn't even think of that. I'm done worrying about that for now. So, do you want to try out some high flying moves on me, and then I'll do the same for you?"

"Sure!" April replied. "I'd really like to learn that one popular move you haven't done here yet— the shining wizard. I was thinking of having it be my finisher. Would that be okay with you?"

"Yeah, totally. It's not like I use it as a finisher anyways."

"Hey, guys!"

Each Rookie jumped at the loud male voice that bounced off the walls without warning. It was April who spotted the person responsible for scaring the crap out of them both.

"Hey, Nic!"

"Jesus, you scared us!" Olivia remarked. "Are you stalking me now?"

Nic pretended to look apprehensive. "No…maybe…so?"

Olivia laughed off the scare. "It's fine. What's up?"

"Not much. I heard people talking, so I decided to see who was here. I'm not surprised to see you here, Liv. I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"No, you didn't. April and I were just gonna give each other pointers on highflying moves. Now that I think about it, we could use another set of eyes to make sure everything looks good. Would you mind being that extra set of eyes? If you're busy, that's fine."

The invitation made Nic grin. "I'd love to help." He paused to join the Rookies in the ring. "What's first?"

"I'm about to learn the shining wizard," April revealed. "I was thinking of making it my finisher."

"That's a good pick."

"It is," Olivia said. "May I use you to show how it's done?"

"Hell yeah," Nic replied. He slipped off his blazer. "Don't worry about messing up my hair— I can fix it later."

"I don't care about messing up your hair as much as I care about not hurting you."

Both Nic and April laughed before Olivia showed off the move to her fellow competitor. April tried out the move, and then Nic offered a couple pointers on how to perfect it. Fortunately, April was a fast learner, so the process went quicker than he expected. She kept offering up moves to learn, and Olivia was more than happy to teach them. Nic kept providing more advice to help April improve as she learned more moves that she could use for not only tonight's match, but for others that were sure to follow.

A half hour or so later, the trio had to put things to an end when Edwin showed up to find his Rookie. He had to pull her away because Talent Relations wanted to discuss a storyline that involved her and her Pro. Once she was gone, Nic looked his Rookie up and down with a surprised expression.

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah, it was just cool to see you teach April so many moves…but also weird. Like, _I_ should be teaching you guys these things, and yet you're doing it with ease. You also did a way better job than I could've."

Olivia couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes. "You're just saying that."

"I swear to God I'm not."

"Well…thank you, Nic. I know we're each other's competition, but I love to help others learn new things and improve their in-ring skills. I feel like because I'm more experienced, the other Rookies look up at me to help better themselves."

"That's a lot of pressure, especially since you're competing against them."

"I don't mind; it's flattering, really."

Nic found himself chuckling. "A Rookie with more experience than some of the Divas that are Pros is acting like a Pro herself…I like it."

"Yeah, I still find it weird that I was even picked, but I'm not gonna argue. Any chance to possibly make it onto the main roster is one I would never waste," Olivia explained.

"That's a good way to look at it, 'cause you never know if this is your only shot," Nic said. "Enough about that, though— you should finish getting ready for your match. I have a feeling you'll be fine."

Olivia nodded. "I'll catch you in a few, okay?"

"Sounds good."

With that, she exited the ring to touch up her hair and makeup before tonight's taping began.

* * *

After the Wheelbarrow Challenge (won by Kaitlyn) and the singles match between AJ and Maxine (won by AJ), Olivia was set to have her match against Jamie. She made her entrance with Dolph by her side as his music blared throughout the arena. She noted immediately how the crowd cheered loudly despite her Pro's villainous ways. She couldn't help but smile and high five as many fans as she could.

"The following is a Divas match, set for one fall! Introducing first— Olivia!"

Olivia soon entered the ring and stood on a turnbuckle with her arms raised. She hopped down a moment later and flashed a small grin to Dolph.

"Good luck," he remarked in a snarky manner. "You'll need it."

"Thanks," Olivia replied. She ignored his abrasive attitude so she could focus on her impending match.

The Bella Twins' entrance music began a moment later, making the audience cheer a little louder than before. They, along with Jamie, appeared on the ramp with massive smiles.

"And her opponent— Jamie!"

The trio made their way to the ring moments later, where Jamie entered the ring and waved to the fans. The twins glared at Olivia, but she paid them no mind. Her eyes were zeroed in on her opponent, not her pissed off Pros standing in her corner.

Once the bell went off, the two Rookies circled each other before locking up. Jamie got the upper hand quickly, thanks in part to her larger stature and being stronger than her opponent. She got Olivia in a side headlock, but the smaller Rookie used a sharp kick to the gut to create some much-needed separation. Olivia then bounced off the ropes, dodged a boot to bounce off the next set of ropes, and then executed a crossbody. She didn't go for the pin, but instead did a standing shooting star press on Jamie while she was still down. She then tried to pick up the win, but there was a kick out at one.

"Keep it up, Liv!" Dolph called out.

Jamie tried to pick herself off the ground while Olivia bounced off the ropes a third time. She executed a tilt-a-whirl arm drag, but it looked a bit sloppy thanks to Jamie's poor execution on her part. Olivia then did a nip up and performed a front dropkick to her chest. She went for the cover, only to have her opponent kick up at two.

"Beat her!" Brie cried.

"C'mon, Jamie!" Nikki added.

Olivia helped Jamie to her feet to perform another move, but Jamie broke away and slapped her across the face. The audience booed in response, but Olivia rolled her eyes.

"You're nothing!" Jamie shouted.

"Yeah, you tell her!" Brie cackled.

Before Jamie could go back on the offence, Olivia punched her square in the face. Jamie reeled from the blow, but tried to recover fast. Before she could do so, Olivia performed a spinning heel kick, followed by another dropkick. As she went for the pin, Jamie yanked her to the canvas in a small package roll-up. Olivia kicked out ferociously at the two count.

"You're doing good, Liv!" Dolph shouted.

"Beat her, Jamie!" Brie shouted.

"You need to beat her!" Nikki exclaimed.

Olivia glared at the twins, but didn't respond to their trash talk. She kept her mind on the match, where she received a suplex by Jamie. She sloppily Irish whipped the smaller Rookie into the turnbuckle closet to the twins and kicked her in the stomach multiple times. As the referee pulled her away, the twins sneered at Olivia. She didn't know whether they were going to continue insulting her or if they were going to attack her instead, but she wasn't too keen on finding out. Despite feeling disoriented, she scrambled out of the corner a minute later. Jamie noticed, and kicked her in the stomach in frustration. She then bounced off the ropes to clothesline her, but Olivia dodged her by hitting the mat in time. She got back up and performed a wheelbarrow bulldog when she bounced off the opposite ropes, and then went for the cover. Jamie kicked out at two, pissing off Olivia further.

 _It's time to end this,_ she thought.

As Jamie remained on the mat, Olivia got on the top of a turnbuckle with her back facing her. Both Dolph and the audience seemed to be confused as to what she was up to, but they didn't have to wait too long. She suddenly executed the other finishing move she'd had up her sleeve— a double rotation moonsault she referred to as the _Olivia-Sault_. Dolph's jaw dropped and the audience cheered loudly as she picked up the victory over Jamie.

"Here's your winner— Olivia!"

As Olivia picked herself off the ground, Dolph raced to her side and helped her up. Both he and the referee raised an arm in victory for a moment. Once that moment ended, Olivia noticed an exasperated smile on Dolph's face.

"I hate to admit it, but you're good, kid," he remarked.

"Thank you," Olivia replied with a small smile.

* * *

Despite picking up the win against her opponent, Olivia couldn't stay happy about her match. She was ticked about what Nikki and Brie had shouted, as it'd been real trash talk aimed to upset her. She kept her annoyance to herself as she and Nic exited the gorilla. But he sensed that something was off anyways.

"What's wrong, Liv? You should be happy that you won!"

"I'm happy, don't get me wrong."

Nic didn't seem convinced, but didn't have a chance to dig deeper into what she was thinking. That's because Brittany suddenly appeared from the gorilla with Brie and Nikki close behind. She greeted her competitor with a massive hug.

"Good job, Olivia!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry about messing up your arm drag."

"It's alright, it's not like you hurt me."

"It's not a big deal," Nikki piped up.

"Yeah, mistakes happen," Olivia remarked.

Brie scowled. "Don't get so upset about it."

"I never said I was."

It was Nikki's turn to scowl. "That's bullshit. Not everyone has as much experience as you."

"Guys, she's not lying. Please don't say those things," Brittany begged.

Each twin gave their Rookie a surprised look. But they stayed quiet as they strolled away from the increasingly uncomfortable situation.

"I'm so sorry about that," Brittany added. "I have no idea why they said all that."

"Neither do I," Nic chimed in.

Olivia opened her mouth to put in her two cents, but stopped short. The last thing she wanted was to create some gossip that would just be spread by Pros and Rookies alike. She pursed her lips and threw on a fake reassuring smile.

"It's probably nothing," she commented. "Sorry, I'm just gonna go freshen up in the locker room. Excuse me."

She quickly left Nic and Brittany behind to hide how hurt she'd been by the twins' words. But before she could too far, Nic caught up to her. She was startled that he'd bothered to do so, but she wasn't to tell him to leave her alone.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

"Brie and Nikki were really rude."

Olivia dismissed his concerns. "I can handle myself."

"Liv—"

"I mean it. I'm just annoyed about the whole thing, that's all."

"I don't want you to think that that's okay," Nic explained. "I'm gonna talk to them about it later tonight."

"Please don't do that," Olivia replied. "I hate drama, and the last thing I want is to start any with Divas from the main roster."

Nic sighed. His Rookie had a fair point, but the exchange still bothered him greatly. He rubbed the back of his neck and let out a small sigh. "Alright, I won't say anything then."

"Thank you. Besides, I care more about what you thought of my match. So…was it okay?"

The sudden change in conversation was a pleasant one, and Nic was more than happy to talk about it. "You did great, Liv! There were a couple botches, but I could tell that they were from Brittany, not you. That finishing move was so damn cool."

"Oh, thanks! It's a double rotation moonsault, but I don't use it that much because I prefer using the shooting star DDT more. It's more interesting in my opinion, but the moonsault is pretty cool."

"It really is," Nic remarked. "Both finishers work for your wrestling style." He paused to chuckle softly. "I know it's early to say, but I have a feeling you're gonna go far in NXT."

"I hope so," Olivia commented. "Oh, I almost forgot— remember the agreement we made last week about hanging out the day after a taping on weeks where I had a match? Is that still happening?"

"Oh, it's definitely happening," Nic answered. "Does breakfast sound good?"

"Sure, but only if you let me pay this time."

"That's even better!"

Olivia's scoff was sarcastic. "Thanks, I guess."

"No, thank _you_."

A producer abruptly approached them to reveal that Nic had to return to the ramp in a few minutes.

"If I don't see you again tonight, I'll see you tomorrow morning at seven," Olivia said.

"Sure! Good job again, by the way," Nic replied.

"Thanks, Nic. Have fun out there!"

The pair went their separate ways moments later, allowing Olivia to finally head to the Divas' locker room.

* * *

 **Well, there you go! I hope you all truly enjoyed it. (:**

 **Please review, and please don't forget to stay tuned for chapter 6!**

 _\- Elizabeth_


	7. Chapter 6

**Hey, guys! So after some more research (mostly on accident, to be honest), I believe I made a mistake with Nic's name; namely, that I was right with my initial spelling. I can handle not fixing it in this fanfic so I plan on just leaving it, and then changing it back in the next fanfic. However, if enough of you want me to fix the mistake, please let me know and I'll change it before next week's update. Thank you!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to WWE.**

 **Anyways, please read and enjoy! :D**

* * *

Olivia awoke earlier than she'd expected after having been up so late for last night's tapings. She chalked it up to looking forward to hanging out with Nic more than she had the first time. Their first outing had been enjoyable, but she'd had her guard up a little due to his reputation— or rather, his character's reputation— as a shameless flirt. But after having a match together and interacting with him both in and out of the ring, she felt more at ease at the idea of them hanging out away from NXT. She briefly looked down at her outfit— a grey vintage Calvin Klein sweater, light wash jeans, and white sneakers— and swallowed hard as she continued loitering in the hotel lobby. She was dressed more casually than she had for their first hang out, but she didn't care. It was way too early to care about her appearance. She glanced into a nearby mirror at her makeup-free face with a carefree shrug.

 _I wonder if he'll say anything_ , she thought.

As she looked away from the mirror, she heard an elevator go off and looked over. Nic exited with no clear expression on his features. His bleach blonde hair looked like it hadn't been brushed yet, but he'd managed to throw on jeans, a black T-shirt, and white hoodie. He looked quite put together despite it being so early.

Olivia threw on a casual smile. "Good morning."

"Morning, Liv. You look great!"

"Oh, thanks. You look great, too."

"Thank you. Ready to go?"

"Sure."

The pair left the hotel, got into Nic's rental car, and then drove to a 24 hour diner located about ten minutes from their hotel. They didn't talk much until after they were seated in a booth near the back of the place. They ordered beverages, and their server left shortly after.

"How do you think your last match went?" Nic asked.

"Okay," Olivia answered. "I think because of Brittany' botches, I can't say it was one of my best. I know they weren't my fault, but it still looked bad."

"True, but you're right about them not being your fault. I was kinda surprised that you didn't slap the hell out of Brittany after she did the same to you."

"I hate slapping anyone; it feels silly to me. I'd rather punch someone lights out."

Nic couldn't help but chuckle. "I didn't expect _that_ to be your reason for punching her. But I kinda like it."

Olivia raised her eyebrows with surprise. "Thank you. I'm hoping my next match will be better."

"Oh, it will. You're facing another Rookie next week, and then a Pro the week after."

"That's fine. I have no real preference of which Pro I want to face first. They're all good in their respective ways."

Nic suddenly frowned. "Have they been giving you a hard time recently? The Divas, I mean."

Olivia bit the inside of her cheek. "Vickie's been fine; I don't see her much, but she's been kind to me so far. The others…they're okay. I don't know what caused the twins to act the way they did last night, but please don't think too much about it."

"It's not okay, Liv," Nic countered. "Are you sure you don't want me to talk to them about it?"

"I'm sure. It's nothing I can't handle," Olivia replied.

Her response left Nic in disbelief. He didn't speak up immediately because their server had approached them with drinks in hand. He only left again after taking their order.

Olivia sipped her black coffee with a calm expression. The hand not holding her mug twirled a strand of short red hair as if she had no worries whatsoever. In reality, there was plenty of stuff on her mind about the twins' unprofessional behaviour from last night. It rubbed her the wrong way, but something made her want to figure out the full truth behind their animosity. It's not like it'd been a one-off thing, nor had they been alone; Barbie and Victoria's icy greetings hadn't been forgotten. There was definitely more going on beneath the surface. She needed to get to the bottom of it before a massive argument broke out— on or off-camera.

"Hey, you okay over there?"

The remark brought Olivia back to Earth in an instant. Her sudden blinking and head shake made Nic chuckle. Olivia waved one hand in a dismissive fashion.

"I'm fine."

"What's on your mind? It looked pretty serious," Nic noted.

Not wanting to spill the beans, Olivia quickly thought of a somewhat credible explanation. "I'm already curious about who I'm facing next week."

"Oh, yeah? I may already know the answer to that."

"Could you please tell me?"

Nic smirked at her polite tone of voice, causing Olivia's innocent look to fade. She painted on a smirk of her own.

"Tell me before I _make_ you tell me," she added.

"That's a little aggressive," Nic laughed. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you— you're facing Karlee."

Olivia grinned. "It'll be a good match. Karlee hasn't been wrestling for a long time, but she's a quick learner. She's also really entertaining on the mic."

"That's true," Nic replied. "She has a lot of potential to grow."

"I'd argue that all us Rookies have that potential."

"Well…yeah, okay."

"It doesn't sound like you believe me."

"I mean…how do I say this without offending you?"

Olivia shrugged. "Just say it. It's not like to _want_ to offend me; that's what it sounds like, at least."

Before Nic could respond, their server arrived with their food. The next couple of minutes were spent by the pair eating breakfast in a comfortable silence.

"As I was about to say," Nic continued, "I just don't know if you have the potential to grow because of how much experience you already have. The others need to grow, whereas you don't. I feel like a jackass saying that."

"Don't feel that way. I get what you're saying— I really do. But I believe that _everyone_ has room for improvement, regardless of their experience and skill set. I always work to better myself because I can. Weird, I know."

"No, that's not weird at all. I'm annoyed at myself for not looking at it that way."

Olivia laughed softly. "Don't feel bad about it. I'm not offended whatsoever, I promise."

"That's a relief! Thanks, Liv. Anyways, enough about that— what are you up to for the rest of today?"

"I'm not sure yet. I'll probably go to the gym this evening, for sure. I'm a big fan of working out in the evening, rather than in the morning. Other than that…it's gonna be a quiet day for me. What about you? I take it you'll be busy with main roster things."

Nic laughed. "Yeah, I have a ton of stuff I gotta do. Being the Intercontinental Champion is a busy job."

"Yeah, being a champion is hard work. I've won a few, so I would know," Olivia remarked with a massive smirk.

"Oh, you have? That honestly doesn't surprise me."

Olivia grinned. "Perhaps I'll become the Divas Champion one day. Anything can happen. But I should stay focused on winning NXT first before I get too ahead of myself."

"Good call, Liv."

"Thanks. I hope I didn't seem like I was trying to brag. I was just trying to make a joke, and I think it didn't work out too well. Guess I should stick to making jokes at your expense."

Nic's laugh was one of amusement. "You're welcome to do so off-camera. But I wouldn't recommend doing that on-camera."

"Or else you'll send Vickie after me?"

"Yep! Wow, you already know how she is. You're clearly learning shit from me!"

"Oh, I didn't need you to learn that from you; I just knew it."

The pair laughed at how silly they'd become during the course of their conversation. What had begun as a worrying talk had managed to dissolve into them acting more like good friends than Rookie and Pro. It didn't feel forced or awkward; the chemistry they shared was organic and warm.

"It's like you know what to say," Nic commented.

Olivia shrugged. "I guess? I don't know, I kinda just bullshit it and get lucky."

Nic looked surprised. "You fooled me, Liv."

"Thank you, Nic."

It wasn't too long after that when the pair finished breakfast. Their waiter came by to collect their plates and asked about the bill.

"Just put it all on one bill," Olivia insisted. She grinned at Nic. "I did say it would be my treat."

Once the waiter left, Nic's smirked at his Rookie. "Thank you, Liv."

"Hey, a promise is a promise."

After the bill was paid, the pair left the diner to return to the hotel. Instead of dropping her off at the front, Nic parked and followed Olivia inside the lobby.

"I promise I'm not stalking you; I'm heading up to Kofi's room so that we can talk about this weekend's live events," he confessed.

"I wasn't too worried," Olivia revealed. "So, I guess I'll see you at the next NXT taping?"

"Yeah, that sounds right. See you later, Liv!"

It wasn't until Olivia made it inside her hotel room that she noticed an unread text from April. It'd been sent just as her and Nic's meal had wrapped up at the diner.

 **April: Hey, how's it goin'?**

 **Olivia: Hey, I'm good. Sorry, I just saw this…I came back from breakfast with Nic.**

 **April: LOL it's okay! How was it?**

 **Olivia: It was good. Nic knows that the twins don't care for me 'cause they acted out after my match with Brittany last night. I begged him to not worry about it when he asked about it today.**

 **April: Yikes, that sounds awkward. Is he gonna talk to them about what happened?**

 **Olivia: No, I told him not to. I can handle it.**

 **April: I get that you're not scared of anyone or anything, but I'm sure Nic just wants to help. Brie & Nikki will listen to him if he told them to knock it off.**

 **Olivia: I don't want Nic fighting my battles; it'll look like I can't stand up for myself.**

 **April: Good point. Yikes, that sounds like a tricky situation. I'm sorry.**

 **Olivia: Don't apologize. And besides, breakfast was fine other than that. We talked about next week's match, too. So it's not like all we talked about was drama.**

 **April: That's good.**

 **Olivia: Enough about that bullshit— what are you up to?**

 **April: I have some errands to run. I just wanted to see how you were after last night's match. Good job, by the way!**

 **Olivia: Thank you! I appreciate you saying that.**

 **April: Anytime. Shit, I gotta go now. I'm sure I'll see you around.**

 **Olivia: See you later!**

* * *

True to what she'd said to Nic during breakfast, Olivia didn't hit the gym until the early evening. She worked out for well over an hour, doing a combination of weight training and cardio to turn her into a sweaty mess. She was able to do things at her own pace with no interruption due to the hotel gym being empty at that time of day. She gathered the few belongings she had on hand so she could head back to her room. As she headed for the door, she almost ran into someone entering at the same time.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Olivia blurted.

"It's alright. Wait a second…you look familiar," the other person said.

Olivia looked up to see a WWE Diva from the main roster that she'd yet to meet— Michelle McCool. She towered over Olivia, but the latter woman didn't flinch. She smile wide at the veteran.

"I'm one of the NXT Rookies," she revealed.

"Oh, that's right! I remember your profile back when they showed it on _Raw_ ," Michelle admitted. "You're Olivia, right?"

Olivia nodded. "Olivia Parker. And, uh…I hope I don't sound weird, but I know who you are. I'm a big fan, honestly."

Michelle looked stunned. "Really? Oh wow…thank you."

"It's nice to finally meet you," Olivia added, extending a hand out. She grinned as Michelle warmly accepted the gesture.

"Actually, it's nice to meet _you_. You're so experienced…it's surprising that you're not on the main roster already."

"Oh, thank you. That's very kind of you to say."

"I should let you know that Layla, my best friend, feels the same way about you. I assume you know who I mean when I say her name?"

"Yeah, your partner-in-crime. She's a great wrestler, too!"

Michelle's smile widened. "You're really sweet, Olivia. I'd love to chat some more, but I'd like to get to working out, if that's okay."

"Absolutely. Sorry, I hope I didn't come off like an annoying fan. I just wanted to tell you what I think," Olivia said.

"It's no trouble at all," Michelle replied. "You were very kind, and I appreciate it. I'm sure we'll chat another time."

"That sounds good. It was nice to meet you."

"Thanks, you as well!"

Olivia strolled out of the gym in a calm manner, but promptly hustled to her room once she was out of sight. She had to collect herself for a couple of minutes to process the fact that she'd not only met Michelle McCool, but had also had a friendly conversation with her.

 _I'm so glad she didn't act rude like the Divas on NXT_ , Olivia thought. _She also seemed flattered when I said that I'm a fan of hers. Did she really mean that? Or was she just being nice? I hope she was being genuine; I'm so sick of all the stupid drama from the other Divas. I deserve better._

* * *

 **There you go! I hope you enjoyed it. :)**

 **Review Responses:**

 ** _Brookeworm3_ : LOL yeah, the Bella twins definitely have some issues, don't they? Hopefully they'll see the error of their ways sooner than later. I'm so glad you're enjoying this fanfic so far! I hope you liked this chapter just as much as the last, if not more! :)**

 **Please review, and don't forget to stay tuned for chapter 7! :D**

 _\- Elizabeth_


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to WWE.**

 **Please read & enjoy! :D**

* * *

On the day of the newest NXT taping, Olivia's mind was focused solely on her upcoming match with Karlee. She and April had arrived to the stadium long before the taping began so that they could roll around in the ring like they had last week. But when they began to go to where the ring was set up, they spotted the female Pros inside. Barbie, Victoria, and the twins were working on various moves while making idle chit chat. Olivia ducked out of sight before she could be spotted by any of them. April sat beside her, confused.

"I thought you weren't scared of anyone."

"I'm not, but I hate confrontation. I don't want to accidentally start anything."

April rolled her eyes. "C'mon, let's go. I'll stick up for you, I promise."

"Fine. But if things get out of control, I'm blaming you."

The pair emerged from where they'd been sitting to find the four Divas still working on moves inside the ring. Olivia and April slowly approached them with eager grins.

"Hey, it's nice to see you guys!" Olivia greeted.

Barbie and Nikki stopped what they were doing, while Victoria and Brie showed off uncomfortable stares.

"I'm sorry if we're interrupting," April added, "but we saw you guys here, and we were hoping that we could learn some moves. I know we're not any of your Rookies, but it'd mean a lot to work with you guys!"

"I'm sure we could help you out," Brie replied, "but Olivia might not want our help."

"I'm always down to learn new things," Olivia piped up. "I'd love to work with you guys. It'd be silly of me to not wanna work with Divas who are already on the main roster."

"You're just saying that," Victoria remarked.

"I swear to God I'm not."

It was Nikki who stepped in to intervene. "How about you and April start wrestling, and we'll step in to critique anything that needs fixing?"

"That sounds like a good idea!" April said. She gave Olivia a keen smile, causing her to brighten up more and nod.

Once the Pros gave them enough room to begin wrestling, the two Rookies locked up for several minutes.

"Good start," Barbie commented.

April soon got Olivia in a side headlock, but Olivia squirmed out fairly fast and executed a dropkick. April handled the bump well, getting up with little discomfort. She threw Olivia to the ropes, who bounced back and avoided a clothesline in the process. She bounced off the opposite set of ropes and performed a crossbody on April. The dark-haired Rookie fell on her back with a loud thud.

"That was a good move," Brie admitted.

"April, get on the offense now," Nikki added.

At that, April Irish whipped Olivia into a corner of the ring. She then executed a corner clothesline, causing her opponent to stumble forward a bit. She took her chance and pulled off a perfect wheelbarrow bulldog. Olivia hit the mat hard, but didn't seem too shaken by the bump. She got up and dusted herself off with little worry.

"I think I might've botched that," April said.

Olivia shook her head. "It felt fine on my end."

"You're doing well," Victoria piped up, "but you have some work to do. You're on the right track, though."

April grinned. "Thanks."

Victoria then turned her attention to Olivia. "You were fine. I'm sure you'd like to critique us Pros on our skills now?"

The bold accusation left Olivia stunned, but she recovered quickly. "Only if you want me to. I'm not going to offer up my opinion if you don't want it, though. That'd be rude."

"I'm sorry, but what exactly is the problem?" April questioned. She crossed her arms with a slight frown. "Olivia's been nothing but nice to you, but you guys keep acting so…stuck up? Rude? I don't know what to call it, but it's disrespectful."

"We just want Olivia to know that _we're_ the ones she should respect in WWE," Victoria explained.

Olivia looked confused. "Did I say something to disrespect you or anyone else? If I did, I didn't mean to, and I'm sorry."

Barbie couldn't hide her smirk. "We just want you to know that you can't come in and change the Divas' division."

"Right now, I'm more focused on winning NXT," Olivia said. "If you think I'm hell-bent on trying to change things in the locker room or act like I'm the best thing ever, than you're wrong. I'd be the first to say that I'm not the best wrestler ever; I think I'm quite humble, actually. It's not fair to be rude to me because of my indie experience. If you want me to be brutally honest… I think all four of you are good wrestlers. I'm sure you don't believe me, but I don't care. Now if you'll please excuse me, I'm gonna go to the locker room and get ready for tonight's show."

With that, she hopped out of the ring and left without sparing anyone a second look. Her hands shook as she hustled to the Divas' locker room and changed into her light blue ring gear. She hoped to make it to the gorilla without running into anyone, but Nic spotted her in the hallway a couple minutes into her walk there. He smiled wide upon seeing her, so she forced herself to return one in his direction.

"Hey, Liv! I love the ring gear," he remarked. "You look good."

"Thanks," Olivia replied. She then pursed her lips, hoping that the conversation would end there.

"Are you okay?" Nic asked.

 _Shit_ , Olivia thought. _There's no way in hell I'm gonna tell him what happened. Besides, I'm sure one of the Divas will tell him anyways._

"I'm fine," she finally answered with a larger smile. It was still fake, but she hoped it was convincing enough to put him at ease.

"Are you sure? You seem…I don't know…quiet, I guess?"

"I'm just focused on tonight's match, that's all. Karlee's no joke— she's improved a lot since our last bout back in FCW, so I need to be on my A game. Sorry, but I tend to get quiet when I'm thinking about an upcoming match like I am right now."

Nic seemed relieved by her bogus explanation. "That's okay. You're so focused and professional— I like it."

"It's how I've always been," Olivia said with a nervous laugh. "Are we still on for tomorrow morning?"

"Hell yeah. How about we stick to the hotel buffet?"

"Someone's not eager to pay."

Nic didn't understand what Olivia meant, but soon laughed when he got it. "No, that's not it, I promise."

"I'm just fucking with you," she revealed. She abruptly put one hand over her mouth. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"Nah, it's cool," Nic said. "I knew you were messing with me, and I don't care how you talk. You don't have to be so formal or whatever, Liv— just relax."

Olivia took a deep breath and studied her Pro's face carefully. He seemed to think of her more as an equal than just his Rookie. The idea was refreshing and made her feel like she belonged. He was far more welcoming than his female counterparts; which was great, but also disappointing. If only the main roster Divas could feel the same way, she'd feel more at ease.

"Thanks, Nic," she responded with a calm expression. "I was just about to head to the gorilla. Were you about to head that way?"

Nic nodded. "Let's go, shall we?"

"Sure."

The pair resumed walking to the gorilla so that they could head to the ring to join the NXT taping.

* * *

The opening match that evening was Olivia versus Maxine. The latter Rookie made her entrance first alongside her Pro, Alicia Fox, with attitude and arrogance in every step. She seemed dismissive of the crowd's booing, as if it didn't bother her whatsoever.

"The following is a Divas match, set for one fall! Introducing first— Maxine!"

The crowd's boos turned into cheers once Dolph's music began playing a few minutes later. Olivia appeared from behind the curtain with him close behind. He wore a cocky smirk while his Rookie grinned softly.

"And her opponent— Olivia!"

The pair headed to the ring, where Maxine began shooting trash talk out of her mouth. Olivia smirked and laughed it off with little concern. She approached Dolph, who stood on the ring apron next to a turnbuckle.

"Don't let her get to you."

"I wasn't planning on it."

Dolph's smirk widened. "Good."

Olivia nodded before looking back at Maxine, who continued to glare at her. She didn't let the death stare faze her; she just patiently waited for the referee to start the match.

Once the bell rang, Maxine didn't even try to lock up with Olivia; she simply tackled her in the form of a Lou Thesz press, and then threw multiple punches at her face. Olivia was able to block some, but not all blows that came her way. She did throw Maxine off her a minute or so later, and then got to her feet. Once Maxine had done the same, Olivia got her arm twisted and got on top of a turnbuckle. She carefully walked along a rope before jumping off, throwing Maxine across the mat. The results of the arm drag left the latter Rookie in a heap, so Olivia bounced off the ropes and performed a front dropkick. She tried to pin the laid-out Rookie, but Maxine kicked out at one.

"C'mon, Olivia!" Dolph shouted.

Olivia dragged her opponent to her feet and threw her to the ropes. Once Maxine bounced off, she flipped over using her back, and then dropkicked her for the second time. As the dark-haired Diva tried to pick herself up, Olivia bounced off the ropes again and performed a crossbody that floated into a pin. But Maxine quickly countered into a small package pin that Olivia kicked out of at the two count.

"Beat her!" Alicia called out to her Rookie.

As Olivia stood back up, Maxine threw her down to the mat by her short hair. As she tried to recover from the painful move, Maxine dragged her to her feet and Irish whipped her into a turnbuckle. She then put her foot on the smaller woman's neck until the referee made the three count. She shouted something— Olivia didn't catch what exactly— and then resumed choking her opponent with her foot. The referee made the three count again, so Maxine backed off for good. She shoved Olivia with a snarky face, and then threw her away from the turnbuckle by her hair, earning the referee's ire yet again. The crowd booed at her actions throughout, displeased that she'd act so dirty to her opponent. She tried to pick up the win then, but Olivia kicked out at two.

"Get it together!" Dolph exclaimed.

Maxine lifted Olivia's head up and got her in a sleeper hold. The smaller Rookie could hear Dolph encouraging the crowd to get behind her, resulting in them clapping for her to break the hold. It took some time, but she slowly stood herself up and elbowed out of Maxine's tight grip. Once she created some separation, she bounced off the ropes, dodged a clothesline, and flipped so that her back bounced off the adjacent ropes. She flipped over Maxine and landed on her feet, causing some to gasp at her athleticism. Before Maxine could process what had just happened, Olivia bounced off the ropes yet again and executed a wheelbarrow bulldog. Once she hit the mat, Olivia followed the move up with a standing shooting star press before going for the cover. However, Maxine kicked out at two.

Dolph scowled at his Rookie. "You're better than this!"

Since her back was facing him, Olivia didn't hesitate to roll her eyes at his dumb remark. She then dragged Maxine to her feet, who then Irish whipped her into a turnbuckle. The smaller Diva dodged an incoming clothesline before getting her in a schoolgirl roll-up. She didn't get the pin, but she managed to buy some time to back away from her opponent. She followed it up with an enzuigiri, leaving Maxine in a daze. As she tried to collect herself, Olivia hastily got on top of a turnbuckle and performed _Falling Star_ to pick up the win. The crowd cheered as the bell rang to signal the match's end.

"Here's your winner— Olivia!"

The referee raised her arm up as Dolph entered the ring. She barely looked in his direction— his last comment had rubbed her the wrong way, leaving her in no mood to talk to him. She acted polite as he congratulated her on her win, but didn't allow him to hug her. She left the ring in a cold manner despite picking up the win.

…

 _Dolph went looking for his Rookie before the next match was to begin. He knew he'd been a little hard on her during the match, but he didn't think he'd gone too far. He couldn't understand why she'd been so dismissive after the match. He eventually found her exiting the trainer's room._

" _Olivia!"_

 _Olivia couldn't stop herself from glaring at her Pro. "I'm fine."_

" _What's wrong?"_

" _I'm a tad annoyed by your 'You're better than this!' remark. I'm not hurt or offended— just annoyed. I won, didn't I?"_

" _Well, yeah, but—"_

" _And I haven't lost yet in NXT! I probably just jinxed myself, but whatever."_

 _Dolph's confusion turned to frustration. "I'm the Pro, remember? You need to show me some respect."_

 _Olivia scoffed. "Clearly, you didn't hear what I just said. Oh, and one more thing— please don't try to get too close to me. Vickie already hates my guts 'cause you're my Pro, but you keep wanting to hug me or whatever. I don't wanna upset her, Dolph— she's your girlfriend, and I respect your relationship."_

" _EXCUSE ME!"_

 _Olivia and Dolph looked over to find an unimpressed Vickie approaching the pair. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she had on a massive scowl._

" _Hey, Vickie," Olivia greeted. "In case you missed that, I want you to know I had no idea Dolph was gonna try and hug me. I just finished saying that I don't want him doing that again because I respect your relationship." She paused to look back at Dolph. "Oh, and that it's unprofessional of him to start anything with me, his Rookie."_

 _Vickie's scowl softened slightly, but she didn't seem completely convinced by Olivia's words. "Well, I'm gonna say it anyways— back off. Dolph's mine."_

" _That's fine. You can have him for all I care. As far as I'm concerned, this conversation is over."_

 _Olivia left to go to the Divas' locker room, leaving Dolph and Vickie to share surprised looks._

" _She has some nerve to talk to me like that," Dolph remarked. "And I don't think she's scared of you, Vickie."_

 _Vickie had to agree with his second point. "She may be your problem for the most part, but she's also_ my _problem, too. I still think she's lying."_

 _Dolph wasn't so sure. "She looked pretty serious to me."_

" _I guess we'll find out soon enough," Vickie snapped. She let out an irritated huff before storming off._

…

"And CUT!"

Once the segment was wrapped up, Olivia rejoined Nic and Vickie with a small smile. "I hope that was fine."

"You did good!" Vickie commented with a genuine grin. "Not just now, though; your match was also great."

"You did really well," Nic added.

"Thank you," Olivia replied.

Just then, a producer approached to inform Vickie that she was wanted for another backstage segment with her Rookie. She said her goodbyes before walking away, leaving Olivia and Nic alone.

"I should get going, too," he said. "I have to be back out there soon. Sorry, Liv."

"It's fine," Olivia responded with a shrug. "Besides, we'll see each other tomorrow morning, right?"

"Oh, yeah," Nic confirmed. "I'll meet you in the lobby for seven?"

"Sure! See you then."

Olivia headed off to the Divas' locker room, but paused at the door upon hearing chatter coming from inside. She knew it wasn't right to eavesdrop, yet she stood outside to listen in to when she heard her name mentioned.

"Olivia's good," Karlee insisted.

"Sure, she's talented," Victoria said, "but don't you think she's…I don't know…conceited?"

"Oh God no," Karlee replied. "She's probably the most down-to-Earth person I've met. I was nervous when I met her 'cause I thought she was gonna she all like, 'Ugh, why do I have to be in developmental?', but she was never like that. Working with her is like working with another trainer, really. She's always happy to help me and the other girls whenever we asked."

Olivia decided to enter before Victoria responded to her Rookie's words. Karlee had on a tired grin, while Victoria's face was neutral.

"Hey," Karlee greeted. "Congrats on winning! You were so good."

"Thank you," Olivia replied. "You've definitely improved since you've started wrestling. You're getting to be a good heel, too. Between the dirty moves and bitchy attitude— no offense— you know how to make the crowd hate you and love me."

Karlee covered her mouth to hide a gasp. "Holy crap…thank you, Olivia! That means a lot to me."

The pair shared a hug while Victoria looked on. She slowly grinned once the pair broke apart.

"I think Karlee did well, too," she added.

"She's a strong contender to win NXT, that's for sure," Olivia remarked.

"I think you'll win," Karlee confessed. "You're so talented and experienced!"

"That doesn't necessarily guarantee that I'll win," Olivia pointed out. "I mean, Daniel Bryan was the first to be eliminated back in season one, and he's been wrestling about as long as me."

"Okay, but you _will_ do well. Can you at least agree with that?"

"Fine."

Karlee shook her head with a soft laugh. "You're unreal. Anyways, I'm gonna head back to the gorilla. Are you coming?"

"In a minute. I just need to quickly freshen up."

Karlee nodded before saying goodbye and leaving the locker room. Victoria had a shocked expression on her features, making Olivia a little nervous. Still, she concealed her true feelings with a smile.

"I meant everything I just said," she revealed. "I wouldn't have said any of that if I didn't feel that way."

"I believe you," Victoria said. "I'm sorry for being so rude to you. I just thought you'd try to boss us around because of your experience."

"I could never do that. I have no problem offering help or advice if someone asks, but I'm not gonna act like I own the place or whatever. I've never, ever been like that. I accept your apology."

Olivia concluded her words by offering a handshake. Victoria accepted the gesture, and the two even shared a brief hug. The older woman had a genuine smile on by the end of it.

"I'll see you in a few minutes."

"Sounds good."

After Victoria left, Olivia freshened up with a large smile on. She may not have gotten along with the rest of the Divas, but she had made some progress.

 _It's still a start, and it's better than nothing,_ she thought before heading off to the gorilla to finish tonight's NXT taping.

* * *

 **There you go! I hope you all enjoyed it. (:**

 **Review Responses:**

 ** _Brookworm3_ : Hey, maybe Nic will get involved...we'll just have to wait and see. LOL I really like the pun! But yes, Michelle was lovely. I'm gonna try and include more cameos like that in this story just for the hell of it. Who knows who'll pop up next? I'm glad you're liking this fanfic thus far!**

 **Please review, and don't forget to stay tuned for chapter 8! :D**

 _\- Elizabeth_


	9. Chapter 8

**Hey, guys! So, I need to apologize for not uploading a new chapter yesterday. I just got so busy with work and other shit that I straight up forgot! But it's here now. Once again, I apologize for the delay, but I'll make sure to be back on schedule for next week. (:**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to WWE.**

 **Anyways, please read & enjoy! :D**

* * *

True to last night's agreement, Olivia headed down to the hotel lobby with about ten or so minutes to spare. She'd thrown on a black cropped sweatshirt with black skinny jeans and black-and-white Nikes— perfect for a casual breakfast with her NXT Pro. She lingered in the lobby for a little bit before Nic showed up. He had on a graphic T-shirt, blue jeans, and red-and-white sneakers that looked as though they'd seen better days. He smiled when he spotted his Rookie waiting for him.

"Hi," Olivia greeted, "how are you?

"I'm good, Liv. You?"

"Good, thanks."

Nic led them both to the dining area, where they began building plates of food for themselves. The lack of patrons also getting breakfast at this time allowed them to chat while they decided what to eat.

"I'm sorry we didn't really talk about your match last night," Nic said.

"It's fine," Olivia insisted. "I know you had to get back to the show. Besides, there wasn't much to discuss; the match went really well, in my opinion."

"That's true."

"Uh…I hope that didn't come off as arrogant or something."

"No, not at all. You're right, it was good. It's hard to find any real flaws 'cause your past experience shows in every match. And some of the things you did last night took my breath away."

Olivia laughed as she and Nic found seats in the dining area. "I like to watch men's lucha libre matches to learn new moves. They don't even have to be new ways to attack; I also like learning cool ways to dodge or counter opponents."

"And it shows. That back handspring move was sick."

"Thank you! I've done that move for a while now, and it's so much fun."

"Highflyers seem to have the most fun with their moves. You risk it all to wow the crowd while trying to win at the same time."

"It can get challenging at times, but I love it."

Nic grinned in response. "By the way, I found out which Pro you're facing next week."

"Oh, yeah? Who is it?"

"Nikki."

Olivia tried to hide her disappointment with a fake smile. She'd hoped it would've been Victoria, especially after their recent reconciliation. She wanted to face the one Diva she actually got along with, rather than any of the ones that seemed to dislike her for her past wrestling experience. But she didn't have any choice in the matter; she had to face Nikki despite the existing animosity.

"She's pretty good," Olivia finally piped up. She paused when a familiar face caught her eye. "Speak of the devil."

Nic looked in her direction to see Nikki and Brie entering the dining area with breakfast in hand. They caught Nic's eye and waved, and he reciprocated the gesture. He then waved them towards him, and they began walking over.

"You cool if they join us?" he asked.

"Sure," Olivia answered. _I'd rather they didn't, but whatever. God, I hope they don't act like complete bitches and try to embarrass me_ , she added silently.

The twins sat at a table right beside them and proceeded to greet Nic with wide smiles. They greeted Olivia less enthusiastically, yet remained polite throughout. She responded politely, but put her guard up to prepare for the worst.

"Are you guys here celebrating Olivia's win from last night?" Nikki asked.

"Sort of," Nic replied. "We also like to hang out and talk about her next match. And it just so happens that you'll be facing her next week."

 _Shit_ , Olivia thought, _this is_ not _gonna end well._

Brie smirked with raised eyebrows. "I heard!"

"I think it'll be good one," Nikki remarked.

"So do I," Olivia added in a calm, albeit small voice. "I mean, you and Brie are both good wrestlers."

Neither twin looked convinced, but Nic grinned at the remark. "I think you'll beat Nikki," he chuckled.

Olivia ran one hand through her hair as a nervous laugh left her mouth. "We'll see."

"I know I can break her little winning streak," Nikki proclaimed like it was an obvious fact. "You're good, but I'm better."

Nic sensed the direction that the conversation was heading in and decided to take matters into his own hands. "Let's not worry about that right now, okay?"

"Thanks," a relieved Olivia muttered.

Nikki narrowed her eyes at the Rookie. "What's wrong? Do you not want to face me?"

"I never said that, and I also didn't mean to imply that."

"Is there a problem?" Nic interjected. His voice was even but held a bit of frustration at his co-workers' behaviour.

"I just wanna know what's wrong with Olivia," Nikki answered.

"She probably doesn't wanna be near us after her outburst before NXT yesterday," Brie added.

Olivia shook her head. "That's not true."

"What happened?" Nic asked.

"The twins were in the ring with Barbie and Victoria before the show, going over moves and whatnot. April and I asked if they could critique our in-ring skills, and they did just that— which was fine. But I think there's a misunderstanding that I want to change the Divas' division, or that I don't respect them for some reason. Honestly, I'm kinda confused by the whole thing."

Nic processed Olivia's words carefully. "That's the problem? You two think that she doesn't respect you guys?"

Brie shook her head and furrowed her eyebrows. "We just want her to understand that she needs to respect us because we've been in WWE longer."

"Well then, if that's the case— message received," Olivia commented with a firm grin.

"Liv's been respectful to me and Vickie since NXT began," Nic pointed out. "I respect the hell out of her. Ten years in this business is a lot before making it to WWE. _That_ should be respected 'cause it's rare as hell."

The twins mused his words carefully, while Olivia smiled at him. "You're being way too nice," she laughed in an attempt to ease the tension.

Nic nudged her with a smirk. "Anything to make you feel better."

It was Olivia's turn to smirk. "Nice try, but I'm not going to sleep with you."

That almost caused Nic to choke on a mouthful of food. He recovered quickly while the twins' jaws dropped.

"He was just being nice, you know," Brie said.

"Oh, I know. I just wanted to tease him, that's all," Olivia replied.

Nic pretended to side with Brie. "Yeah, that was really mean!"

Despite his scowl, Olivia saw right through his charade. "You're fine."

"Yeah, I'm fine," he laughed. "That was good."

"Thanks."

"So, I'm assuming you have a boyfriend then," Nikki stated.

Olivia shook her head. "Nope, I'm single. It's just that I don't date co-workers."

The revelation seemed to stun the remaining Superstars, but Olivia didn't flinch. She finished what was left of her breakfast with a composed expression on her face.

"Like at all?" Brie asked.

"Correct. I refuse to date or sleep with any co-workers. I don't care if others do it— I say you do you— but I'm not interested in mixing work with my personal life. I like to keep them as separate as possible. Friendships are fine, but I have no desire to be in a relationship with any of my co-workers. Sorry, Nic."

Upon hearing this admission, Nic acted hurt, but laughed a moment later. "It's cool. You're really professional— I like it."

Nikki and Brie exchanged faces, but Olivia couldn't tell if they were of discontent or amusement. She focused back on Nic with a grin. "Thanks."

By now, the remaining Pros had finished their breakfasts as well. The twins got up from their seats with their empty plates in hand.

"We'll see you later," Nikki said.

"We have a couple media interviews to do soon, so we should get going," Brie explained.

"See you too around!" Nic replied. He paused to smirk. "I'll be thinking about you two."

Nikki scoffed. "Nic!"

Olivia and Brie laughed, but Nic shrugged it all off with ease. The twins then left a moment later after saying their goodbyes. It wasn't until they left that Nic shook his head with a small sigh.

"I'm really sorry about how rude they were. That was so wrong of them."

"Thank you. I'm hoping that they'll smarten up after I have my match with them," Olivia said. "Victoria and I seem to get along now, after I had a brief chat with her yesterday."

"Oh, yeah? What happened?"

"I went to the Divas' locker room to freshen up a bit, and I ran into her and Karlee. I told her that she's improved in the ring, and that she has a chance to win NXT. She thanked me, but disagreed about the other point I'd made. Anyways, after she left, I told Victoria that I meant everything I'd said. She said that she believed me, and then apologized for everything. She said she thought I was gonna start bossing her and the other Divas around. I accepted her apology, and we shook on it."

Nic smiled. "That's good. Maybe that'll happen with the twins and Barbie? I'm assuming she's in the same boat as them."

"I don't wanna talk about it 'cause it's all so stupid and petty," Olivia remarked. "Also, I need to stay focused on NXT; I don't want this crap to distract me from what's most important."

"Good idea, Liv. Your match next week is your biggest one yet, too. But I have a good feeling that you'll win," Nic said.

Olivia raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "That's a hell of a statement."

"I believe it, though. Also, I need you to win 'cause…well, I'm not supposed to tell you. But I will if you swear to not tell the other Rookies."

"I promise I won't say a word. Your secret's safe with me."

"Good. So, I need you to win next week's match 'cause the first elimination is gonna happen that night. If there's any time that I need you to win, it's then."

"Oh, that won't be an issue," Olivia revealed. "I have every intention on beating Nikki."

Nic's smile grew bigger. "That's exactly what I wanna hear."

* * *

 **There you go! I hope you guys enjoyed it. (:**

 **Review Responses:**

 ** _Brookeworm3_ : Unfortunately, The Shield wouldn't have existed at the time that this fanfic took place. That being said, I'll try to put them in a future fanfic! You have my word. (:**

 ** _Guest_ : Aww, thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy this fanfic!**

 **Please review, and don't forget to stay tuned for chapter 9! :D**

 _\- Elizabeth_


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing related to WWE.**

 **Please read & enjoy! :D**

* * *

Olivia and April drove together to their hotel in Topeka, Kansas a couple days before the next NXT taping. It was late in the afternoon when they arrived and checked into their room, and neither had eaten lunch yet. So, when April suggested that they go out for grab some food, Olivia happily accepted her offer. They headed to a small diner located just ten minutes from they were staying.

"The drive wasn't as bad as I thought," Olivia remarked once their hostess had left their table.

"Yeah, it really wasn't," April replied. She tossed some of her dark brown hair behind her with a casual grin. "Traffic was lighter than I thought it would've been at that time."

"I'm just glad we made it here in one piece."

"Oh, me too."

The conversation stopped when their server appeared to take their drink order. April gave her friend a curious look once their server left.

"Karlee said that Victoria seems to have finally warmed up to you, but didn't really say why," she revealed. "She also told me about your guys' chat and how Victoria seemed to not expect you to be so…nice? I don't know how else to put it."

"That's okay," Olivia said. "Karlee's not wrong. After she left, Victoria and I were alone in the Divas' locker room. Before she said anything, I told her that I meant it when I said that Karlee's talented and had a good chance of winning NXT. She was like, 'I believe you,' and then apologized for everything. I accepted her apology, of course. We even shook hands on it."

April raised her eyebrows as a laugh slipped from her mouth. " _Wow_ , I didn't see that coming! I'm happy to hear that you two made amends."

"Me too, 'cause the whole situation's dumb as hell. I don't know if things will work out the same way between me and the twins or Barbie. Actually, I pretty sure that the twins hate me."

"Why would you say that?" April questioned as confusion took over her features.

Before Olivia could respond, their server showed up to drop off their drinks. He left again once he got both women's orders.

"The day after last week's taping," Olivia began, "Nic and I were having breakfast together in the hotel dining area when the twins showed up to have breakfast, too. Nic offered them to sit beside us, and they did."

"Doesn't he know that they don't like you?" April interrupted.

"Yes. But to be fair, he did ask if it was okay, and I said yes. So, I kinda deserved it," Olivia admitted.

"Oh, God…what happened?"

"Everything was fine until Nic mentioned that I'll be wrestling Nikki next week— now this week, if that makes sense. Nikki said she thought it'd go well, and I told I agreed 'cause her and Brie are good wrestlers."

April couldn't stop herself from making an annoyed face. "You're _way_ too nice."

Olivia dismissed the accusation. "I was trying to get them to not hate my guts, okay? Anyways, Nic then had to say that he thinks I'll beat Nikki. I tried to laugh it off, but his remark seemed to upset the twins. Nikki was like, 'I'll break your winning streak 'cause I'm better,' or something to that effect. Nic tried to calm her down, but that seemed to upset her more. She accused me of not wanting to wrestle her, but I insisted that that wasn't true. Oh, and Brie brought up what happened when you and I were wrestling in front of the Divas last week, so I kinda had to tell him the whole story."

"Jesus Christ."

"Tell me about it. Once I told Nic everything, he was like, 'You guys think she doesn't respect you? She's been respectful to me and Vickie since the start of NXT.' Then he admitted to respecting me, which was nice to hear."

"It's good that he feels that way."

"It really does. When I told him that he was being too nice, he was like, 'Anything to make you feel better.' Then I joked that I wasn't gonna sleep with him for what he said. I don't think he expected that to come out of my mouth."

April covered her mouth to stop from laughing loudly. "Oh my God, Olivia!"

"I couldn't resist! Besides, he took it well. I also use that as a way to tell him and the twins that I don't date co-workers. Nic was like, 'That fine. You're professional— I like it.' After that, the twins left 'cause they had some interviews to do. Nic apologized for what they said to me, which was nice of him."

"At least he seems to be on your side when it comes to this. It'd be worse if he felt the same as Brie and Nikki. _That_ would be an awful situation."

Olivia couldn't stop herself from visibly shuddering. "Thank God we get along so well! Which reminds me of something I've been meaning to ask…how are you and your Pro doing? Is everything okay?"

"We get along very well," April divulged. "Edwin's really nice and helpful."

"That's great! Do you happen to know if the others are getting along with their Pros, too?" Olivia asked. "I know I'm being nosey, but I'm curious."

"There's nothing wrong with that," April remarked. "I don't know about Živilė or Brittany, but Celeste's told me that Vickie's like a second mother to her."

"I can see that," Olivia interjected.

"Me too. Karlee and Victoria get along, from what I've seen. But Trinity told me that she doesn't love working with Barbie. Their personalities are so different that they disagree on things often. But Trin insists that they work alright together for the most part."

"As long as they keep things professional, they should be fine."

Their server suddenly reappeared to hand them their food, much to each woman's delight. They began to eat lunch, causing their conversation to be put on pause for a moment or two.

"I wanna get back to the fact that you're facing Nikki in the upcoming show," April suddenly declared. "Are you nervous about that?"

Olivia hesitated to respond. "Can I be extremely honest with you? So long as you keep your mouth shut about it from everyone else?"

"Of course."

"Alright. If I'm being that honest, then my answer's no. No, I'm not nervous to face Nikki. She may have been with WWE longer than me, but I've still been wrestling longer. I also know about her and Brie's little trick— Twin Magic. But I'm not worried about that either 'cause I can still beat them."

April looked surprised by her friend's sudden confidence. "I didn't expect you to say any of that."

"I know; I didn't expect it either, actually," Olivia confessed. "But I'm so pissed off by what went down the other day that I just wanna beat her much more than before. I was fine with the idea of facing Nikki before, but now I'm really looking forward to our match."

"Me too. It's good to see you confident instead of so humble," April said.

"I was worried I was gonna come off as cocky 'cause I do think of myself as a humble person."

"You didn't. Well, not to me, at least. You're always so focused on bettering me and the other Rookies that you put yourself last."

"That sounds about right."

April shook her head to show her disapproval. "I appreciate the thought, and I'm sure the others do, too. But please don't forget about yourself, Olivia. You've worked way harder than the rest of us to make it into WWE. That's not my opinion— that's a _fact_. If you want to be more confident in yourself, that's fine. I don't think anyone would have a problem with that. Well, maybe some of the Divas would, but who gives a shit what they think? I mean…I know you do, but…crap, I lost my point. Damn it!"

"It's okay, I get what you're trying to say," Olivia said. "Thank you, April. You're very sweet."

"Anytime. And for the record, I'll be rooting for you during your match," April commented.

"Thank you. I really do hope that Nikki will change her opinion of me after our match. If she doesn't…than I don't think we'll ever be able to get along. But I guess that'll be her loss, not mine," Olivia mused.

* * *

 **There you go! I hope you all enjoyed it. (:**

 **Please review, and please don't forget to stay tuned for chapter 10! :D**

 _\- Elizabeth_


	11. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing related to WWE.**

 **Please read & enjoy! :D**

* * *

 _Olivia was stretching backstage before her upcoming match with Nikki Bella. She was alone for a while, which was a nice change from almost always having her Pro close by._

" _Olivia!"_

 _A bemused smirk grew on her face; so much for being alone._

" _Hey," she greeted as she finished stretching. "How's it goin'?"_

" _Good," Dolph answered before taking their budding conversation in a serious direction. "Are you ready for tonight?"_

 _Olivia nodded. "Yeah, I'm good."_

 _Dolph seemed unimpressed by what he perceived to be a lack of excitement. "You're going one-on-one against Nikki Bella— another NXT Pro, remember— in tonight's main event. I know you must be freaking out, but I know you'll do great out. You haven't lost yet—"_

" _Don't jinx it," Olivia interjected._

" _Look, I'm just stating the facts here. My point is that you need to get it together before you go head-to-head against Nikki."_

" _That won't be an issue. I've been looking forward to having a match against a Pro since NXT started. It's nice to see it finally happen."_

 _Just then, the Bella Twins appeared and stood beside Dolph. He seemed confused by their sudden presence, while Olivia didn't look concerned. She did note that while Nikki was wearing ring gear, Brie had opted for street clothes._

" _Good luck out there," she remarked._

" _Thanks," Olivia replied._

" _Don't think that I'm gonna go easy on you," Nikki added. "You've been doing well, but I know I can break your winning streak with ease."_

" _My Rookie can beat you," Dolph began._

 _Olivia moved so that she was in front of him and almost touching Nikki. The older woman looked shocked by the bold move, but didn't back down._

" _If you're trying to intimidate me, then you should know that it's not gonna work on me," Olivia revealed. "You may have been in the WWE longer than me, but don't forget that I've been in this business far longer than you or your sister. I'm not afraid of you or Brie. If I were you, I'd focus less on trash talking and more on getting ready to face me tonight."_

 _Nikki raised her eyebrows as she looked down at the smaller Diva. She was visibly shaken by Olivia's words, but tried to shake it off as best as she could._

" _I'll see you in the ring," she snapped before storming off._

 _Brie scoffed at the Rookie before following her sister close behind. Olivia turned around to face a bewildered Dolph._

" _I appreciate you standing up for me," she admitted, "but I can handle myself both in and out of the ring."_

 _With that, Olivia sauntered off— where exactly she was going, Dolph didn't know. He was too busy trying to make sense of what had just occurred to really care about her absence._

…

With tonight's segment complete, Olivia returned to Nic's side while laughing about their characters' exchange. His dazed expression softened a bit as he joined in on the laughter.

"You improvised what you said just now, didn't you?"

"Was it obvious?"

Nic nodded with an amused smirk. "Kinda. But it was way more fun. I really enjoyed being a part of it."

"Oh, thanks."

The twins— who had been watching the pair chat a couple feet away up to this point— approached with curious expressions.

"I hate to admit it, but that was really cool," Brie confessed. Even as she said this, she kept up an annoyed expression on her face.

"Thank you."

"You've got some nerve," Nikki commented. She still seemed to be fuming from their on-camera confrontation.

"Nobody scares me," Olivia declared, "so why should I pretend to be?"

Nic raised his right eyebrow in acknowledgement. "She's not kidding."

At this, Nikki sneered. "Stop being so cocky, Olivia."

"It's not cockiness. When you're always the smallest wrestler in the room, you have to force yourself to not be scared of anyone else. I learned that a long time ago. It's not about cockiness; it's about being confident."

Nikki didn't look convinced, nor did Brie. But neither Diva called her out on it. They abruptly said their goodbyes and left under the guise of having to speak with Talent Relations. Nic shook his head with disappointment as they left.

"I didn't think you were being cocky," he remarked.

"I'm glad to hear that," Olivia replied. She smirked as a thought formed. "It's funny— I wasn't sure whether we'd get along before we met, but now I'm friendlier with you than the female Pros."

"What made you think that?" Nic asked.

"I wasn't sure if you were a lot like your character— arrogant, flirty, a show off. You're definitely a show off, but you don't seem arrogant or flirty to me."

"Yeah, I'm not really that arrogant…at least, I don't think I am. I like to hit on women though; just not you. You're my Rookie— it'd be inappropriate to hit on you, I think. Besides, I know you said you don't date co-workers. Why is that, by the way?"

"I've just seen things go south in a ugly manner lots of times, and I have no interest in experiencing that shit. I like being single anyways 'cause I don't have time to be in a relationship. I know that sounds dumb, but it's how I feel."

Nic mused his Rookie's words carefully. "That's fair. I'm sorry if I asked anything too personal."

"Don't apologize," Olivia said. "I'm an open book; nothing's off limits to ask or talk about. Feel free to ask me anything anytime."

"Are you sure?"

"Oh, yeah. So…do you wanna head to gorilla now?"

"Shit, we should get going. You're gonna kill it out there, Liv."

"Thanks, Nic. I have a good feeling about this match."

* * *

"The following is a Rookie versus Pro match, scheduled for one fall! Introducing first, from Scottsdale, Arizona— Nikki Bella!"

Having already made their entrances off-camera, Nikki and Brie stood in the middle of the ring with large smiles on their faces. Nikki stretched her arms out a little, while Brie encouraged the crowd to cheer for her. She then stood out on the ring apron once Dolph's music hit.

"And her opponent— Olivia!"

Olivia and Dolph appeared to the sound of not only his music, but to the crowd cheering loudly than they had earlier. Dolph had his trademark cocky smirk on, while Olivia looked calm and determined. She soon entered the ring while Dolph got on the ring apron.

"Nervous?"

"Nope."

Dolph's smirk widened. "Good."

Olivia chuckled before paying attention to a scowling Nikki. The referee rang the bell a moment later to start the match.

The two wrestlers circled each other for a couple moments before locking up. Nikki managed to force Olivia into a corner of the ring, so the referee forced them apart. Despite this, Nikki slapped Olivia across the face, resulting in boos from the crowd. The latter wasn't fazed by the disrespectful move; she dodged another slap and twisted Nikki's arm in an uncomfortable manner. She then got on the top of the closest turnbuckle, walked along the ropes, and then jumped off in a gorgeous arm drag. Nikki went flying to the mat and was trying to recover when Olivia bounced off the ropes, hopped over her opponent, bounced off another set of ropes, and executed a shining wizard. She went for the cover, but only got the one count.

"Nikki, beat her!" Brie cried.

"C'mon, Olivia! Keep at her!" Dolph countered.

As Olivia brought her opponent to her feet, Nikki kicked her square in the stomach. Olivia went down, so Nikki Irish whipped her into a turnbuckle. Once there, she pulled off a monkey flip that sent Olivia flying. But before she could go for the cover, Olivia squirmed out of the way and ran the ropes. She bounced off and executed a wheelbarrow bulldog on Nikki. She went for the cover a second later, but Nikki kicked out at two.

"Keep it going, Olivia!" Dolph called out.

Olivia began dragging Nikki to her feet, but the latter suddenly went for a schoolgirl roll-up. Fortunately, Olivia kicked out at two, only to receive a knee to the side of the face for doing so. Nikki Irish whipped her into the turnbuckle Brie was standing by, and proceeded to choke her with her foot on the neck. She stopped before the referee could disqualify her, but then did it again for the same length of time. The referee began to pick a fight with Nikki, pulling her away from her opponent. While they were both distracted, Brie grabbed Olivia by the hair and threw her head into the turnbuckle. Dolph spotted this and tried to alert the referee, but was hastily dismissed. By then, Nikki grabbed Olivia and threw her to the ground in the form of a hair-pull mat slam. She went for the cover, but Olivia kicked out at two.

"C'mon, Nikki!" Brie cheered.

Dolph scowled. "Beat her, Olivia!"

Nikki wrapped Olivia up in a bodyscissors submission, bringing her great discomfort. The audience clapped at Dolph's insistence, bringing her some encouragement. She managed to shove herself out of the painful move several moments later, and almost got a kick to the face for doing so. Luckily, Olivia dodged the move by laying out on the canvas, and then getting herself up in a handstand. Her ankles managed to get around Nikki's head, so she created some momentum and sent Nikki flying from her handstand flying headscissors. Olivia followed it up with a dropkick and a standing shooting star press. She went for the cover, but Nikki kicked out at two. She slowly rolled out of the ring after kicking out, and Brie met up with her at ringside. The referee began arguing with the sisters, but they weren't having it.

"I need a minute!" Nikki yelled.

Dolph rolled his eyes, but Olivia smirked. She bounced off the ropes closest to the twins, startling them. But instead of an impact, they saw Olivia bounced off the opposite ropes and execute a corkscrew suicide plancha by leaping over the top rope with all her momentum. She landed on both Divas, laying them out on the ground. The audience gasped as Olivia nipped up and screamed with defiance. They cheered loudly at the bold move while she grabbed Nikki by her long brown hair.

"Get back in there!" she ordered while throwing her back in the ring.

As Nikki writhed on the mat, Olivia jumped on a turnbuckle and quickly executed the _Olivia-Sault_. She got the three count with the audience joining the referee's counting. They cheered before the bell rang to end the match.

"Here's your winner— Olivia!"

Olivia had barely begun to get up when Dolph ran to her side. He helped her up and raised her arm with pride. Olivia grinned, but stopped her Pro from hugging her.

"I'm sweaty," she explained, "and I don't wanna ruin your nice outfit."

Dolph glanced down at his outfit— black dress pants, a blue graphic T-shirt, and a black blazer— and nodded understandingly. He gave her a hi-five instead, which she happily accepted.

* * *

Olivia was a little more out of breath than expected as she exited the ramp and gorilla. She didn't mind it one bit; she was too excited over her victory to care about something so silly. All she wanted to cheer and jump up and down, but she maintained her composure anyways. She did laugh when she finally saw Nic's surprised face. They were backstage, standing a few feet from gorilla.

"I'm so proud of you," he declared. "Your move set continues to expand, you keep taking risks— that plancha was badass— and you really know how to entertain the crowd. You were great tonight, Liv. I hope you're proud of yourself."

"Oh, I am," Olivia revealed. "I'm so happy to hear that you're proud of me. That means a lot coming from you. I only ever want to put on a good show."

"Well, you put on an _amazing_ show," Nic replied. "Come here. And don't worry about messing up my outfit— I don't mind."

Olivia nodded before hugging her Pro. She noted how warm he felt, and how his grip was tight but not smothering. When they broke apart, they exchanged big smiles before laughing.

"I'm taking you out for dinner tomorrow," Nic added. "You deserve it."

"Be careful, Nemeth— people might get the wrong idea," Olivia teased.

Nic chuckled. "Fuck 'em."

Olivia began to laugh as well, but suddenly spotted the twins exiting gorilla. She pointed them out to Nic, who frowned slightly.

"I'll be right back," she said.

Before Nic could respond, she left to approach the twins. They gave her uncertain looks when Olivia extended her hand out.

"You did good out there, Nikki. It was an honour to wrestle you."

Nikki and Brie shared skeptical faces, but Nikki shook her hand anyways. Brie did as well with a small smile.

"Sorry if that plancha messed up your outfit," Olivia remarked.

"It's okay, you're good," Brie said.

"That was a bold move," Nikki chimed in. "You weren't kidding when you said that you're not scared of anything. I mean…I couldn't have done that."

"Same! We were wrong to be so mean," Brie added. "I'm sorry, Olivia."

Nikki nodded. "It's just that there's never been such an experienced Diva in WWE before, and we were convinced that you were gonna be bossy or something to the rest of us. Victoria was right— you're _so_ nice. I'm sorry, too."

Olivia's smile was warm. "I forgive you two. Let's just forget all about it, okay? We'll start fresh from here on out."

"Sure," Brie replied.

"I'm good with that," Nikki said.

Olivia shook on it with both sisters before they left for the Divas' locker room. Once they were gone, Olivia walked back over to Nic, who now looked more shocked than before.

"That went well," he noted.

"It did," Olivia responded. "I guess things are finally looking up on that front."

"It's good that they seem to respect you now that they've actually wrestled you," Nic said. "You really are doing great, Liv. Don't slip up now, though; you've been doing great for a while, and I'd hate to see it end now."

"Oh, me too. I think I have a few more good matches coming my way," Olivia stated.

* * *

 **There you go! I hope you all enjoyed this new update. (:**

 **Please review, and don't forget to also stay tuned for chapter 11! :D**

 _\- Elizabeth_


	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to WWE.**

 **Please read & enjoy! :D**

* * *

A couple days passed before Olivia and Nic met to have dinner. It was something that Olivia had never imagined taking place between them, so she was more nervous than their previous hangouts. Every other time they'd hung out had been at having breakfast or rolling around in the ring; things that seemed normal given the extent of their relationship. But now things seemed to be growing more personal between Rookie and Pro.

 _I know he said that he won't pursue anything with me…was he just lying? God, what the hell have I gotten myself into? I'm hoping this doesn't turn out to be a huge mistake_ , Olivia thought as she loitered in the hotel lobby. It was close to seven PM— the time they'd agreed to meet— and Nic hadn't arrived yet. This made her anxious, as she'd begun to wonder whether he would actually show up or not.

 _Hold on— Nic's never stood me up before, so why would he now? And even if he had to cancel, I'm sure he would've told me immediately_ , she thought. She glanced at her outfit— a black long-sleeved blouse with pink flowers, black skinny jeans, and black flats— and swallowed hard. She also hoped that she hadn't underdressed or overdressed for tonight, as she hadn't been told where exactly they were going.

"Liv!"

Olivia's ears perked up at the sound of her name. She looked over to see Nic approaching from her left with a relaxed grin. She took in his appearance carefully, nothing how he looked put together but not too fancy. He was wearing a red T-shirt, black blazer, black jeans, and nice-looking running shoes. He greeted her with a hug that she returned.

"How are you?" she asked.

"Good, you?"

"I'm alright. Ready to go?"

"Yeah, sure."

Once the pair got in Nic's rental car, they began to drive away from their hotel. Olivia kept glancing out her window in an attempt to distract herself from the situation. Her previous worries continued to plague her mind, making it difficult to relax and enjoy herself.

"Are you okay?"

Olivia looked back to see Nic giving her a concerned look as they were stopped at a red light. She gave him a small smile. "I'm good. Just thinking about last week's match," she lied.

Nic chuckled. "You're always thinking about work."

"Sad, isn't it?"

"I wouldn't say that. It's a good thing, but you also shouldn't let it consume you."

"True," Olivia remarked with a small sigh. "Thanks again for doing this, by the way."

"It's no trouble at all," Nic said. "I know it was kinda sudden, and it's different from what we normally do. But I thought it'd be a nice change."

The two Superstars made it to a cozy, albeit casual bistro not long after. They gave their drink order to their server a few minutes into their arrival, who then left them alone a moment later. Olivia ran a hand through her short red hair with a nervous smile.

"I know I said you shouldn't let work consume you, but I did want to let you know what's happening next week," Nic began.

Olivia perked up. "Who am I wrestling?"

Nic frowned. "No one, unfortunately. You still have to appear on NXT of course, but you have the night off from wrestling."

"Really? I guess I shouldn't be surprised, since I've now had three matches in a row. They probably want another Rookie to shine for a change. Besides, you and I can still roll around in the ring before the show starts…that is, if you're okay with that."

"If you want to, than sure."

"I just want to stay in peak in-ring condition. I also enjoyed wrestling you a lot last time, so I'm looking for an excuse to do it again."

At this, Nic chuckled. "I appreciate your honesty."

Olivia bit her lip in a nervous manner, so Nic smiled in response. "Oh, relax, Liv. You worry too much," he commented.

"I know...I'm treating this like a business dinner, but it really isn't."

"Exactly. We're just a pair of friends hanging out away from work. I notice that you tend to overthink things quite a bit."

"Yeah, it's embarrassing. I always have a lot on my mind about work. Jesus Christ, I'm a boring person."

Nic smirked. "No way. Look, why don't you tell me about yourself away from the ring?"

"Are you sure you wanna hear me talk about myself?" Olivia questioned.

There was a brief pause when their server handed them their drinks and took their order. Once gone, Nic resumed the conversation.

"I'd love to get to know you some more," he remarked. "I remember you said in your NXT promo that you're from Long Beach— is that true?"

Olivia nodded. "I lived there with my parents until I moved to San Diego for college. It's about two hours away, so it was nice to be close to home."

"What did you study?"

"Communications Studies. It combines public relations, marketing, and advertising into one diploma. To be honest, I wasn't sure what to study, so I picked something easy but interesting. I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would."

Nic grinned as she spoke. "Do you have any siblings?"

"No, I'm an only child. It was kinda lonely, but it made me closer to my parents," Olivia revealed. "What about you?"

"I have two younger brothers. They're also huge wrestling fans," Nic answered. He paused, his face twisting into one of curiosity and amusement. "Ugh…I know what I said before, but I really wanna hear about your time on the independent circuit."

Olivia couldn't stop herself from laughing. "That's okay! What do you wanna know?"

"Everything. I wanna know everything."

"Uh…okay. I've been wrestling since I was 18 years old. I've worked for several indie promotions in the U.S. and Mexico. I also did some appearances in _Ring of Honor_ , and worked for _TNA Impact_ up until a month before my WWE try-out."

"I've heard of _Ring of Honor_ and _TNA_. I didn't think _Ring of Honor_ had a women's division."

Olivia nodded to confirm Nic's suspicions. "I only went there to do guest commentary or act as a backstage interviewer. I was there mostly to meet other wrestlers, to be honest. _TNA_ was the peak of my career at the time. But now WWE will be the peak because it's the biggest wrestling promotion in the world."

"You aren't wrong there. I'm impressed, Liv."

"I'm glad to hear you say that. I was a little worried that I was gonna come off like I was bragging. Ugh…sorry, I'm worrying over nothing again."

"It's okay," Nic said, "I get why you'd feel that way. I don't feel like you're bragging at all; I mean, I did say that I wanted to know everything, right?"

"That's a good point," Olivia remarked.

Just then, their server arrived with their food in hand. He gave them their dishes before leaving. This caused their conversation to come to a standstill for a few minutes so that they could dig into the delicious food in front of them.

"Your parents must be proud of you," Nic finally commented.

Olivia bit her lip and nodded. "So am I," she said in a soft voice.

Nic noticed her newfound discomfort but decided to not mention it. He instead shifted the conversation in a different direction.

"Is there anything you wanna know about me?" he asked.

"Well…" Olivia paused, but reluctantly continued anyways. "I hope this doesn't make me sound like a stalker or something…but I already know about your past in WWE. The whole caddy and cheerleader stuff."

Nic chuckled. "Hey, _I've_ even mentioned it to others, so it's hardly a secret."

"That's true. I also know about your amateur wrestling career, which is really cool. I wish I could've done that, but both my high school and college didn't have wrestling teams. Oh, and I met your brother back in FCW."

"You've met Ryan?"

Olivia nodded. "I've only met him once; and even then, it was just in passing. But he was very nice."

"Was he nicer than me?"

"He never took me out for dinner, so…no."

The remark made Nic laugh. "I might rub this in his face the next time I see him."

"That's so petty," Olivia noted with a laugh, "but I kinda like it."

Nic suddenly became serious. "I almost forgot to ask…have you spoken to Brittany since she was eliminated?"

"Not really. I sent her a text wishing her all the best, but that's it," Olivia said. "I'm sad, but I can't say I wasn't surprised. She lost the most matches out of all the Rookies, so it kinda made sense. I'm already anxious to see who's eliminated next and when."

"Well, I have no clue when the next elimination is."

"That's okay."

"But," Nic interjected, "I have a feeling that you'll be fine for quite a while. When things get near the end though, you'll need to show everyone what you're made of."

"I'm not worried," Olivia admitted. "I mean, I have no clue who'll be eliminated next, but I'm still not worried about me being next. As long as I keep listening to you for the most part, I should be okay."

"Exactly! Wait…for the most part?"

"I was just checking to see if you were listening."

Nic chuckled, and Olivia joined in a minute later. By then, they'd both finished eating. Their server grabbed their plates not long after, where the bill was suddenly brought up.

"Put it all on one," Nic insisted.

As their server left, Olivia shook her head and laughed. "Thanks again for doing this."

"Oh, anytime, Liv. I enjoy hanging out with you."

"The feeling's mutual, that's for sure. It's good that we get along so well."

* * *

After arriving back at her hotel room, Olivia took off her makeup and changed into her comfiest clothes. She should've felt good after her and Nic's hang out, but she couldn't. Her mind was cloudy, and her heart felt heavy as she settled into bed. It had to do with something Nic had said during dinner. He'd been a gentleman throughout the evening, but one innocent remark rattled about in her brain.

" _Your parents must be proud of you."_

Olivia sighed as she studied the calendar on her phone. October 12th was just days away— the hardest day of her life. She put her phone away to stop thinking about it, but that proved to be impossible. This day came every year, yet it never seemed to get any easier.

 _I really don't wanna tell Nic_ , Olivia thought. _He'll probably think that I'm distracted or weak. And I really don't want any more friggin' pity. I'm so sick of it._

It took longer than she had hoped, but she finally managed to fall asleep. Besides, she could still dwell on what was to come tomorrow.

* * *

 **There you go! I hope you enjoyed it despite that little cliffhanger. :D**

 **Please review, and don't forget to stay tuned for chapter 12! :D**

 _\- Elizabeth_


	13. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing related to WWE.**

 **Anyways, please read & enjoy! :D**

* * *

Olivia arrived at Portland's Rose Garden arena for this week's taping of NXT by herself. April would've normally travelled with her, but she had to bail on her friend last minute to partake in an important phone conference between her, her Pro, and Talent Relations about a potential storyline. Olivia wasn't upset about the abrupt change of plans; if anything, she was glad to drive to the stadium alone.

 _October 12_ _th_ _is the one day that I wanna be alone if possible_ , she thought, _but that's not gonna happen this year because of this stupid taping_.

At this, Olivia sighed. Not only did she have to be on NXT despite not being scheduled to wrestle tonight, but she also had to keep her promise of rolling around in the ring with Nic before the show. She'd forgotten all about their arrangement until earlier that day, when he'd texted her to confirm that it was still happening. She thought about cancelling on him, but decided against it despite her current state of mind. It wasn't fair to Nic; and besides, she knew how to act like nothing bothered her on this day.

 _He doesn't need to know_ , she thought as she dragged herself to the locker room.

As Olivia changed into some workout clothes, she found herself going at a slower pace than usual. She then sat down once she finished to try and collect herself. She suddenly dug through her bag and pulled out her wallet. She pulled out a small photo that was old and slightly wrinkled. It was an old photo of her parents, taken at her high school graduation. A younger version of herself stood in the middle of them wearing a cap and gown with her diploma in hand. A sad smile crossed her face as she carefully studied their beaming expressions.

The sound of her phone going off interrupted her little trip down memory lane. She carefully put the photo back in its place, set her wallet back in her bag, and then dug out her phone.

 **Nic: Hey, are you at the stadium?**

 **Olivia: Yeah, I just got in the locker room. I'll be at the ring in a minute. Sorry!**

 **Nic: It's okay, I just got here too. I'll see you soon.**

A heavy sigh escaped Olivia as she fiddled with her red hair. Tears began to well up in her eyes, but she blinked them back in a hurry. She had to keep her composure in front of everyone, especially her Pro. She didn't know how he'd react if she told him what was going on with her, but she couldn't imagine it being good.

 _You can do this,_ she thought as she exited the locker room for the ring.

A soft curse left her lips when she spotted Nic already waiting for her. She hurried to catch up to him with an apologetic grin.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting."

"I haven't been here for that long, Liv. It's okay."

Olivia faked a grin in response, but Nic saw right through her. "Are you okay? I hope you're not gonna worry over that," he said.

"I wasn't going to, I swear," Olivia replied. A tear threatened to expose her true feelings, but she scratched at her eye to conceal it.

Nic frowned as he got closer. "What's wrong, Liv?"

"Nothing's wrong," she argued. She noticed her voice was weaker than usual, much to her dismay. Still, she didn't back down. "I'm not distracted or upset about anything. I know you didn't ask, but I just want to be clear."

Despite her best efforts to put him at ease, Nic didn't buy it. Yet he wasn't sure whether to continue digging for the truth, or ignore everything so that they could begin wrestling.

Meanwhile, Olivia felt her façade begin to fall apart. She rested on a set of ropes like they were the only thing keeping her standing. Her grip was tight as she tried to steady her shaky breaths. Her green eyes rested on the canvas in no particular spot.

"You're scaring me…what's wrong, Olivia?" Nic echoed.

Olivia almost jumped at his use of her full name instead of the nickname he'd used for almost as long as they knew each other. She looked up at him to see how concerned he looked for her well-being.

 _Maybe I should tell him what's on my mind_ , she thought. _If he thinks I'm weak…then that's_ his _problem, not mine._

"Well…" Olivia stopped herself to think of how she wanted to proceed, and then resumed speaking. "Well…I'll tell you if you can please promise not to tell anyone else. It's not a life or death matter…but it's private. It's extremely personal to me, and the last thing I want is for it to become gossip around here."

Nic placed his hands on her shoulders. "I wouldn't do that to you, Liv. I'm not someone that gossips about other people's business."

Olivia broke away so that she could sit on the canvas. Nic promptly sat beside her as she took a deep breath. It took a minute, but she began explaining herself.

"Today's the anniversary of my parents' death. They died back in 2001 in a car accident. The gas pedal got stuck to the floorboard, and they collided into the back of a big rig at a high rate of speed. I found out while I was wrestling out of state. It's been almost 10 years since they died, but it never gets any easier. On the anniversary of their deaths, I always feel like a mess. I try hard to act like nothing's wrong, but it's almost impossible. And I think it hurts a lot more this year because of NXT. I mean…I really wish they were alive to see me perform on TV. They really would've been so proud of me finally making it to WWE."

Unable to maintain her composure any longer, Olivia began to sob into her knees, which were resting on her chest. She didn't care if Nic berated her for letting a personal matter get to her— she just needed to cry it out to feel a little bit better.

Nic inched closer and rested one hand on her shoulder. "Olivia, I'm so sorry. Now I feel bad for forcing you to tell me the truth."

"No, don't," she said as she wiped her tears away. "I needed to get it off my chest. I didn't tell you before because I wasn't sure how'd you react to me getting so emotional. I hate crying in front of anyone, but I really didn't want to cry in front of you. I was worried you'd get mad or be annoyed, or…I don't know. It sounds stupid now that I think about it."

"Why would I be annoyed or mad?" Nic questioned. "You lost your parents in a horrible way— anyone in their right mind would be as upset as you, if not more."

"I guess I didn't want to get so worked up in front of you 'cause some part of my stupid brain thought that you'd think less of me. Again— it sounds so fucking stupid, I know. But now I don't care."

"I don't think any less of you, Olivia. I respect you for coming here tonight despite how shitty you feel. The fact that you're willing to work your ass off with that on your mind is admirable."

"It's not like I have a choice. I've had to wrestle like this a few times before, so why should it be any different this year?"

Nic frowned. "I get what you mean, but I imagine that it's not easy. You said it's been almost 10 years since they died?"

Olivia nodded. "They died when I was 19, and I'm 28 now."

"Jesus Christ…that's rough."

"It is, but there's nothing I can do about it. Look…I'd rather not talk about it anymore, if that's okay. You haven't done anything wrong— I just really don't wanna talk about it any longer. I'm sorry I ruined our chance to work together."

" _Please_ don't apologize for that. You have every right to be upset. We don't have to discuss it further if you don't want to. As for working together, we can do it sometime next week, even if you have a match. I don't mind one bit."

"Are you sure? I'd hate to—"

Nic didn't give her a chance to finish. "I insist, Liv."

Olivia finally relented. "Okay then. Thank you, Nic…for everything."

The pair stood up and shared a tight hug. It didn't make Olivia's pain go away, but it certainly put a smile on her face for a little while.

* * *

That night's taping felt like a blur to Olivia. She didn't win any of the challenges, nor did she have any backstage segments to film, Somehow, she managed to keep her true feelings under wraps from the remaining Pros and the Rookies as she coasted through the NXT taping. The subject of her parents' death didn't come up again until after the show ended, and it wasn't with Nic.

"How are you feeling? I know that today's always a hard day for you," April remarked. She and Olivia were the only ones that hadn't left the Divas' locker room yet.

"I've been better, that's for sure," Olivia confessed. "Nic knows now."

April raised her eyebrows. "He does?"

"Yeah, I kinda had to tell him."

"What do you mean?"

Olivia's laugh was hollow. "We were gonna do some in-ring work before the show. But when he saw me, he noticed that I wasn't myself almost immediately. I couldn't keep lying, so I broke down and told him. He didn't lecture me to keep it together or tell me to stop crying. He just listened and told me that he was glad I had told him. It felt good to talk to someone about it. I know you know, but talking to Nic made me feel much better than I thought it would."

"That's good, Olivia," April said with a calm smile. "You and Nic really seem to get along. I'm not implying anything, I swear— I just mean that you two look like good friends."

"Yeah, he's definitely a friend," Olivia replied. "I know he's probably still worried about me after our talk, but you and I both know that I'll be fine by tomorrow, if not the day after that."

"Oh yeah, I figured as much. I know you; you're not one to dwell on this for forever."

"Just once a year like clockwork."

April smacked her friend's arm lightly. "Don't start that shit."

"You're right, I'm sorry," Olivia said. "Anyways, we really should leave for our hotel now."

"That sounds like a great idea to me."

* * *

 **There you go! I hope that you all enjoyed this update. :)**

 **Please review, and please don't forget to stay tuned for chapter 13! :D**

 _\- Elizabeth_


	14. Chapter 13

**Hey, everyone! So, I need to make an important announcement with regards to when this fanfic will be updated.**

 **As much as I love writing fanfiction, my work schedule is going to become overwhelming. Between my retail job, interviews for jobs in my field, and trying to find paid freelance writing positions, I'm stretching myself quite thin; and that doesn't take into account the other things I need to do in my regular life! So with that said, I'm afraid that updates for _Olivia In NXT_ are now going to be sporadic. I can't do regular weekly updates; instead, starting next week, I will update this fanfic whenever I can. Follow me on Tumblr and Twitter to stay notified on when I update this fanfic and upload other stories!**

 **Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing related to WWE.**

 **Anyways, please read & enjoy! :D**

* * *

By the next morning, Olivia was no longer an emotional basket case from dealing with the anniversary of her parents' deaths. She left her room to work out in the empty hotel gym alone. The hour or so spent doing weight lifting and cardio lifted any lingering depression and sadness left in her mind and heart. When she had finally exited the gym, she felt lighter than before. Sweat trickled down her forehead and neck, but she paid no mind as she trudged back to her room.

 _I don't have too much to do today_ , she thought, _so maybe I'll just take it easy. After yesterday…I think I've earned it._

A couple hours later, Olivia had showered, thrown on a light layer of makeup, and changed into a plain red sweatshirt, black leggings and black-and-white Nikes. She didn't bother doing her hair, choosing instead to brush it out and let it air dry for a change. Just as she was about to head down to grab some breakfast, her phone went off. Surprised, she glanced at the screen to see that she'd received a new text from a familiar name.

 **Nic: Hey, Liv. Hope I didn't wake you or something. Just wanted to know how you're doing.**

 _He probably think I'm a wreck_ , Olivia thought. She bit her lip while she typed out a reply.

 **Olivia: It's okay, I've been up for a while. I'm fine though, thanks for asking. How are you?**

 **Nic: I'm good…just about to grab something to eat. Wanna meet down in the lobby?**

 **Olivia: Sure. Are we going out, or staying here?**

 **Nic: I'd rather stay here, if that's okay with you.**

 **Olivia: I'll be down in a few minutes!**

As she hustled down to the hotel lobby, Olivia ran one hand through her short red hair in a feeble attempt to tame it. She even tried to fix it as she rode the otherwise empty elevator down. It wasn't great, but it still looked better than it had moments ago by the time she reached the lobby. A heavy sigh left her as she waited for Nic to show up. Fortunately, he arrived just a few minutes later, wearing jeans, a white T-shirt, and sneakers. He didn't waste time greeting her with a hello and a large hug.

"You definitely look better," he remarked.

"I am," Olivia insisted.

The pair headed into the dining area and made plates of food for themselves before finding a table. It was getting full where they were, but they still managed to find a seat away from most other patrons.

"I was worried about you after we had our talk," Nic admitted.

"You mean after I blabbed about my sob story?" Olivia paused and shrugged nonchalantly. "I appreciate it, but there was really no need. I'm usually back to normal by the next morning."

Nic looked stunned by her demeanour. He raised his eyebrows while struggling to find the right thing to say.

"I know I seem like I don't care, and that's sort of true," Olivia added. "It's an annual thing that I've gotten used to, that's all. I'm hoping that one day it won't affect me like that ever again. Until then…there's not a whole hell of a lot I can do."

Again, Nic was rendered mute by her blasé attitude. He recovered quickly this time around by clearing his throat after swallowing what food had been in his mouth.

"I don't know how to respond to that," he said with a nervous chuckle.

"That's okay," Olivia replied. "There's no way to really reply to that. I don't mean to come off cold or emotionless. It's kinda how it's been since my parents died. I don't think you or anyone else can understand until you lose a parent that some days your emotions are a rollercoaster— and all you can do is hold on until the ride finally ends."

"Well, I'm not gonna pretend that I know what you're going through because I don't. I still have my parents, thankfully. Shit, that sounded rude. Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"No, don't apologize. It didn't bother me at all. I know I'm kinda alone when it comes to this, so I've just accepted it as fact. Honestly, I just feel embarrassed that I bawled my eyes out in front of you last night. I've never done that before…burst into tears in the middle of training like that."

Nic frowned a bit, but kept his concerned expression at the forefront. "Please stop that, Liv. You had every reason to be upset yesterday. I'm glad you told me just so I could understand why you were off. I knew something was wrong, but I had no way of knowing what until you said so."

"I must be easier to read than I thought," Olivia remarked, "considering that we hardly know each other."

"I guess," Nic commented with a shrug. "We don't have to keep talking about this if you don't want to."

"I'd love to change the subject, actually."

"Yeah, absolutely. So…I heard a rumour that you have a match next week. But I have no idea who, or if you're going against a Rookie or another Pro."

Olivia brightened up at the prospect of having a match at the next taping. "That's okay! I'm just excited to hear that I'll be facing someone. Truthfully, I kinda hope it's someone I haven't faced on NXT yet. Do you happen to know when the next elimination is? If you can't tell me, that's fine."

Nic shook his head. "No, there won't be an elimination next week. I don't know when the next one will be, to be honest."

"That's fine," Olivia said. "Perhaps you and I can get into a ring before the taping begins? To make up for yesterday, I mean."

"We can if you want."

"I really want to."

At this, Nic smirked. "You really love to roll around in the ring with me, huh?"

"Don't flatter yourself," Olivia teased.

Nic cackled despite having a mouthful of food, causing Olivia to laugh as well. She raked a hand through her hair as their laughter died down a few moments later.

"No, I get what you mean," she added. "Like I've said, I want to get as much in-ring practice as I can. I really enjoy rolling around in the ring with you, too. You're really good at letting me know how to improve, and you're not afraid of getting your hands dirty."

"Is that so? I'm kinda surprised to hear that, considering I'm not one of the Divas. I mean, I'm a lot bigger than you, and I don't do highflying stuff like you."

"That's fine. Also, _everyone's_ bigger than me. I'm five foot nothing and 100 pounds, so I'm always the smaller one in a fight. So it doesn't matter who I'm facing in a match or in training— guy, girl, highflyer, non-highflyer— they're all taller and stronger than me. I might as well just accept it."

Nic mused this idea for a moment. "Yeah, I can see where you're coming from. Wait…you're only five feet tall? And 100 pounds?"

Olivia nodded. "Just to give you some context, I'm smaller than April. She's five foot two, if I remember correctly. Don't ask me how much she weighs 'cause I have no idea. But yeah, I'm the smallest Rookie on NXT."

"Wow…I didn't realize that. So I guess I'm not the biggest person you've been in the ring with?"

"That's right. I've wrestled plenty of bigger women, and trained with bigger guys than you… No offence."

"None taken," Nic remarked. "Well then, maybe continuing to work together in the ring would be a good idea after all. I was getting concerned that it wasn't really benefitting you, but I can tell that it has, and it'll continue as well. Let's do it next week at the arena. I heard we're gonna be in Calgary next week, so I hope you're looking forward to that."

"Oh believe me," Olivia said, "I'm looking forward to more than just that."

* * *

 **There you go! I hope you all enjoyed it. (:**

 **Please review, and don't forget to stay tuned for chapter 14! :D**

 _\- Elizabeth_


	15. Chapter 14

**SURPRISE! I have a new update! I'm slow due to my schedule (which is hectic AF), but I promise that I'm trying my best to keep them coming. I love writing this fanfic, and I may or may not have more coming. You'll just have to wait and find out, I guess. ;D**

 **Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing.**

 **Anyways, please read & enjoy! :D**

* * *

The newest NXT taping took the roster up north to Canada- specifically, Edmonton, Alberta. Having not been in Canada for a few years, Olivia was eager to visit the country for a change. She'd be the first to say that she loved her home country— not to an obnoxious extent like some other Americans, but enough— but going to Canada was always a treat. She spent her first day in the city doing some sightseeing in between her work out and other chores she needed to attend to. By the second day, she and April headed to Rexall Place to get some in-ring conditioning done before the show began.

"I'm sorry you don't have a match tonight," Olivia remarked as she stretched her arms out behind her.

April shrugged as she stretched her legs. "There's really nothing I can do about it. Besides, I get to roll around in the ring with you…so it's not a total loss. Thanks again for doing this."

"Anytime. Is your Pro gonna show up to work with us?"

"I don't think so. What about Nic? Is he gonna come?"

Olivia nodded. "I think he'll be here soon. Are you cool with that?"

"Oh, yeah," April replied.

"Cool," Olivia remarked. She paused to grin. "So, what do you want to start working on?"

"The octopus submission hold. I started working on it back in FCW, but I haven't had the chance to really nail it. Then I wanna work on a few highflying moves. But I'm more focused on the octopus, to be honest."

"Sounds good. I know which submission you're talking about, too."

April couldn't help but smirk. "Why would I expect anything else?"

The pair laughed just as Nic began making his way to the ring. They didn't notice until he cleared his throat while standing at ringside.

"Oh, hey," an embarrassed April greeted.

Olivia didn't bristle whatsoever. "Hey, Nic! We weren't laughing about you…yet."

At this, Nic chuckled. "Is that gonna happen now?"

"Depends on how you act while you're working with us," Olivia explained.

April snickered at Nic's newfound scowl. Still, he entered the ring to join the two Rookies.

"So, what are we working on?" he asked.

"I'm working on the octopus hold, and then some highflying moves," April admitted. "Olivia's going to be the guinea pig, I guess."

"It'll help me get ready for my match tonight," Olivia chimed in. "So, it's a win-win for the both of us."

"Yeah, that sounds good," Nic said. "So, let's do the octopus hold first."

April bounced off the ropes, and then raced towards a stagnant Olivia. Soon enough, April's limbs were wrapped all around the smaller Rookie's frame. Nic would give April pointers as to how to fix the hold, which she would then apply shortly after. She managed to nail it after the fourth attempt.

"Good work," Nic remarked as the Rookies brushed themselves off. "Liv, did you want to work on a certain move now?"

Olivia shook her head. "No, I can't think of any. April, you said you wanted to learn more moves though, right?"

At this, April promptly nodded. "Yeah, I have a few I can think of…"

In the course of about an hour and a half, the trio worked their way through many highflying moves- beginning with the corner clothesline, followed by the frankensteiner, snapmare, spinning heel kick, and concluding with the tilt-a-whirl DDT. By the time the dust had settled with the last move, both Olivia and April were rather exhausted by what they had put themselves through. But the latter had to leave when her Pro Edwin showed up to whisk her away to an impromptu meeting with officials.

"Sounds serious," Olivia remarked once her friend left alongside her Pro.

Nic didn't seem bothered. "I'm sure she'll be fine."

"I hope so. Anyways…I found out this morning that I'll be facing Victoria for the first time. I'm sure you already know how it's going to go."

"Yeah, I heard. I guess it had to happen sometime."

Olivia shrugged. "Fair enough. I should probably get ready for my match tonight. I'll see you later."

"Sounds good, Liv!"

* * *

"The following contest is scheduled for one fall! Introducing first— Olivia!"

Having already made her entrance off-camera, Olivia stood in the ring with a calm smile on her face. She waved to the crowd upon hearing the announcer, and the audience cheered in response. She then approached Dolph with a more serious expression.

"Be safe out there," he remarked.

Olivia nodded. "I'll do my best."

Just as she moved away from her Pro, her opponent's obnoxious entrance began playing. The crowd booed as she appeared with her Rookie in tow.

"And her opponent, from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida— Alicia Fox!"

Alicia strutted to the ring with her trademark cocky attitude, and Maxine followed behind in almost the same manner. Alicia hopped into the ring and posed on the turnbuckle while smiling wide. Maxine stood on the apron in her Pro's corner with a smirk on her features. Olivia made her no mind, choosing instead to focus on her opponent.

The referee waited a moment or two before signalling the bell to start the match. Both women circled each other for a bit, and then locked up. Alicia used her size and strength to her advantage by shoving Olivia into a turnbuckle. She began stomping on her despite the referee's protests.

"OKAY!" she shouted at the annoyed referee.

At this, Olivia kicked Alicia in the knee to create some separation. Alicia stumbled back just enough for Olivia run the ropes and deliver a dropkick. This caused Alicia to hit the mat hard, so Olivia decided to capitalize with a sudden jackknife pin. Unfortunately, her opponent managed to kick out at two.

"C'mon, Olivia!" Dolph called out.

Olivia waited until Alicia got back on her feet before trying to throw her to the ropes. But Alicia was much stronger, so she threw Olivia to the ropes instead. The small Rookie bounced off, and then executed a flawless tilt-a-whirl arm drag. Alicia flew quite far and was still in a dazed heap when Olivia pulled off a shining wizard. She went for the cover soon after, but Alicia kicked out at two again.

"Beat her, Alicia!" Maxine cried.

Dolph ignored the Rookie. "Keep at it, Liv!"

Olivia got up and bounced off the ropes again, hoping to execute another tilt-a-whirl arm drag. But Alicia was able to counter it into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, leaving what would surely be a mark on the small of her back. As Olivia tried to recover, Alicia dragged her to her feet and executed a Northern Lights suplex that floated into a pin. Olivia kicked out at two and began trying to catch her breath.

"Get her!" Maxine shouted.

Dolph noticed his Rookie stumbled close to the turnbuckle he was standing next to. "You've got this, Olivia."

Olivia nodded, but didn't say anything in response. She tried to stand, but Alicia managed to pull out a cheap shot to the back of her head. The referee chastised her, yet it didn't stop Alicia. She threw Olivia by the hair in the form of a snapmare, and then kicked her square in the back. Olivia winced hard before she was pinned again. But once again, Olivia kicked out at two.

Frustrated, Alicia unleashed a blur of punches to her opponent's face. Olivia tried her best to fend them off, but it proved useless for the most part. Once Alicia relented, Olivia slowly stood back up to get back to fighting. But Alicia was faster. She dragged Olivia down again to drive her knee into her back. Instead of hitting her back however, she missed entirely and nailed Olivia square in the back of her head.

 _That wasn't supposed to happen_ , she thought as she laid still out on the mat. She forced herself to move so that she wouldn't worry anyone, but every movement felt disjointed and sluggish.

"Are you okay?" the referee asked.

Olivia nodded, annoyed. "Yeah, I'm fine!"

She tried to get back to her feet, but that was slow going. Before she could truly collect herself, Alicia had executed her signature Axe Kick and secured a three count for the win.

"Here's your winner— Alicia Fox!"

As Alicia celebrated her win with Maxine, Olivia couldn't even focus on her opponent's theme music. She also couldn't focus on Dolph, who had now left the turnbuckle to check on his Rookie. She managed to get to her feet after a moment or two, but didn't trust herself to stay standing. How she made it to the back, she honestly had no clue. But she eventually made it with the help of her Pro.

* * *

 _I can't afford to get a fucking concussion NOW!_

This thought repeated in Olivia's mind as she trudged through all the necessary tests by the trainer. It took more time then she cared to admit, but he concluded what Olivia hadn't expected.

"You passed everything with flying colours."

"No way."

The trainer chuckled. "I didn't expect it either, but it's true. I still think you shouldn't do any in-ring work until the next taping— and even then, come see us beforehand to ensure that you're okay."

Olivia nodded. "Sounds good. Thank you."

She exited a moment later to see Nic standing across from the makeshift room, looking at the floor in deep thought. His face relaxed dramatically upon seeing Olivia.

"I don't have a concussion," she revealed before he could ask. "I passed all their tests. I just need to take it easy until the next show, and then have them check me out before next week's taping."

Nic exhaled in a loud manner. "Thank God. I knew what was wrong the moment it happened, and I wanted the match to stop."

"I'm okay," Olivia insisted. "I just need to relax tomorrow. I'm not gonna have an insane workout or spend anytime in a wrestling ring…at least, not until next week."

"Well, I'm really glad that you're okay. I'm pissed that Victoria botched like that."

"Don't be. It was an accident."

As Olivia sat up and stretched her limbs out, Nic kept a sharp eye on her. Just because she escaped getting a concussion didn't mean that he was going to up and leave her now. He wanted to ensure that she would be fine away from anyone, never mind him.

"Let me walk you back to the locker room."

Olivia scoffed. "I'll be fine."

"I believe you, but…could you please just let me? For my peace of mind?" Nic was close to begging at this point.

"Well…alright. If it helps you sleep at night, then I'll let you."

The pair made their way to the Divas' locker room in record time. Olivia didn't stumble at all throughout the walk their; a fact that put Nic's mind at ease. Once outside the door, Olivia gave him a small grin.

"Thanks for doing that. I appreciate you looking out for me," she admitted.

"It's no bother to me, Liv," Nic replied. "Take it easy, okay? I'll text you sometime tomorrow…if I'm not too busy, that is. I have a heavy media day ahead."

"Don't worry about me," Olivia said. "I'll be fine, I promise. But thank you."

Nic nodded. "I'll talk to you soon, though."

"I believe it."

They exchanged hi-fives before Olivia finally entered the Divas' locker room. She quickly spotted April and Victoria inside. April was sitting beside her things and playing with her phones, whereas Victoria stood around aimlessly. She saw Olivia when the redhead entered, and immediately ran over.

"Sorry for taking so long to get here," Olivia remarked. "The trainers were checking me out, and then Nic and I got talking."

Victoria didn't seem to listen. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry for the botch. I've never screwed that move up before! God, I feel so dumb."

"Please don't feel that way! It was an accident, right?"

"Yeah, but—"

Olivia didn't want to hear it. "Then don't lose sleep over it. I don't have a concussion— I'm okay. I swear to God I'm okay. If I wasn't, I'd have no problem telling you."

Upon hearing this, Victoria's uptight demeanour melted away. She exhaled as she raked a hand through her messy hair.

"Please don't think that I'm upset over what happened," Olivia added, "'cause I'm not."

"Good," Victoria said with a nervous laugh. "Could I please give you a hug?"

"Of course!"

The Divas shared a brief hug, and then Victoria excused herself to leave the stadium for the night. Having eavesdropped on the entire thing, April looked up from her phone with a concerned yet amused grin. Olivia returned this with an exasperated expression.

"I'm fine."

April giggled. "I figured you were. That looked pretty brutal."

"It looked worse than it felt…I guess? I don't know for sure, though." Olivia shrugged with an exhausted sigh. "All I want is to go back to my hotel and go to bed."

"I don't blame you."

Olivia let out a small sigh before changing into street clothes. "Can we please head out now? I have a bed that needs to be slept in."

"Absolutely! Let's get out of here."

The two Rookies exited the locker room so that they could head to their hotel for the night.

* * *

 **There you go! I hope you all enjoyed it. :)**

 **Please review, and don't forget to stay tuned for chapter 15! :D**

 _\- Elizabeth_


	16. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing that has to do with WWE.**

 **Please read & enjoy! :D**

* * *

Olivia's head was much clearer when she woke up the next morning. She didn't grow annoyed when she saw that she'd slept until about six AM. She grinned as she slowly sat up and rubbed her light green eyes. It felt good not feeling dizzy or tired like she had after last night's match.

 _It sucks that I can't go crazy with physical activity_ , she thought while she got out of bed. _But I guess I need to slow down and relax for a little while. I should at least get a small workout in._

After changing into a hot pink tank top, black workout leggings, and black Nike sneakers, Olivia headed down to the hotel gym to squeeze in a HIIT workout. A half an hour later, she was out of breath and had beads of sweat trickling down both her face and back. She wiped her forehead with the back of her arm just as a hand suddenly rested on her right shoulder.

"Jesus Christ!" she exclaimed. Her voice was louder than she wished, but the gym was otherwise empty. She red face grew redder with embarrassment as she turned to see who had startled her.

"Hi, Liv."

At this, Olivia rolled her eyes. "Hi, Nic. Still stalking me, I see."

"I swear to God I'm not," Nic insisted. "I'm just surprised to see you here. I was leaving when I spotted you."

"From the looks of it, you got in a good workout, too," Olivia remarked, noting that he was also pouring sweat.

Nic chuckled. "Yeah, I did. You must've, as well. I'm kinda surprised, though…weren't you told to take it easy?"

"I think they meant to avoid getting in the ring until next week— and I intend to follow through with that. I'm actually considering heading home to Tampa until the next NXT taping."

"That's not a bad idea. I'd do it, if I were you, 'cause you seem to be burning the candle at both ends. While that's admirable— and I'll even admit that I'm guilty of it, too— I think you need a take a small break. You deserve it, Liv."

"Oh…thanks, Nic. I was half expecting you to tell me to tough it out 'cause you're such a workaholic. At least, that's what it looks like."

At this, Nic grinned. "You proved to me that you're an extremely hard worker a long time ago— the least you can do is give yourself a bit of a break. I may be a workhorse, but I take the rare time off here and there if need be."

"I believe it," Olivia said. She sighed as she twirled a lock of her deep red hair. "Yeah, I think I'm gonna check out after breakfast."

"Good," Nic remarked. "You've earned a break. So…do you wanna have breakfast together in about an hour? Just so we have a little time to shower and freshen up."

"Sure," Olivia replied. She checked the time on her phone for a moment. "It's just after 7:30 now, so 8:30 works."

As they exited the gym, they ran into another WWE Superstar who was coming in at the same time. Olivia recognized him, but Nic actually knew the man well.

"Hey, Matt! How's it goin'?"

"Good, bro. You're already done?"

"Yeah, the gym's all yours," Nic said. "Hey, have you met Olivia yet?"

"No, I haven't. I'm Matt Cardona— Zack Ryder on TV."

"Olivia Parker."

The pair shook hands, while Matt seemed to go deep into thought.

"Is something wrong?" Olivia asked.

"No, it's just… I feel like I've seen you on TV before," Matt explained. "Like, before WWE. Were you in TNA by any chance?"

Olivia nodded. "I was there for about four years— from May of 2005 until June of 2009. I tried out for WWE the following July and was signed a week or so after that. The rest, as they say, is history."

Matt's eyes abruptly went wide. "Now I remember you! I've watched TNA a bit, and I know I've seen some of your matches. You're fun to watch."

"Oh, thank you! You're really talented, too. I think you're gonna do well in WWE."

"Thank you, Olivia. I really hope you win NXT."

It took everything for Olivia to contain herself. "Oh, thank you. That's very sweet."

After she exited the gym with Nic right behind her, she noticed that her Pro looked extremely surprised. She couldn't help but smile and laugh.

"What?"

"That was cool— one of my close friends happens to think you're good."

"That was very flattering. He seems like a nice guy," Olivia said.

Nic nodded. "He is. So…I'll meet you back here in the lobby by 8:30?"

"Yes! I'll see you soon."

* * *

True to their arrangement, Olivia and Nic met up in the hotel lobby shortly before the agreed upon time. After getting food for themselves, they found an empty table in the otherwise quiet dining area.

"So, you really are feeling better?" Nic asked a few minutes into breakfast.

"I'm feeling better after getting some sleep last night," Olivia answered. "I should be clear to wrestle next week. I'd be shocked if I wasn't."

"Good," Nic remarked, "because you and I have a match together next week."

Olivia smiled wide. "That's awesome! I've been wanting to wrestle with you again for a while now. Do you know who our opponents are?"

"I believe we're up against Aksana and Goldust. Have you faced her before?"

"A few times back in FCW. She's…okay."

Nic frowned slightly, causing Olivia to bite her lip. She thought about keeping her opinion to herself, but changed her mind at a moment's notice.

"Between you and me…she's probably one of the weaker competitors in NXT. She's not horrible, but she's also not great. I'll be fine; it just won't be a great match to watch. But you and Goldust are good, so it won't be all bad."

"Ahh, I see," Nic said while nodding. "I know you'll do fine, though. But you'll wanna be on you're A-game anyways 'cause I recently heard that there's an elimination coming up really soon. It's not next week for sure, but a week or two after that."

Olivia took in her Pro's words slowly and carefully. "Fair enough. To be honest, I'm kinda surprised that there hasn't been another elimination sooner."

"Yeah, I don't really know what all's going on with that. Us Pros have no say on when eliminations happen or don't happen."

"I figured as much. So…uh…no, never mind. I won't ask."

"No, go ahead! What were you gonna ask?"

Olivia let out an annoyed groan. "I don't want you to think that I'm fishing for compliments because I'm not. I just want your honest opinion, that's all."

"I'll always be honest with you, Liv," Nic insisted. "What's up?"

"Here goes nothing," Olivia joked with a weak laugh. "So…regardless of how my next match goes, do you think I'm going to be safe from the next elimination?"

Nic's grin was sly. "What do _you_ think?"

Olivia frowned at the non-answer but decided to play along anyways. "I like to think that up to this point, I've performed extremely well in the ring; and that will keep me from being eliminated. I know I've only won one challenge, but I don't think that's as important as my winning the most amount of matches."

"You're absolutely right, Liv," Nic said. He paused to think for a moment. "I think you'll be fine. And if you win this week's match, you'll be in even better standing."

Upon hearing this, Olivia relaxed greatly as a relieved laugh escaped her throat. "Thank _God_. I was really curious to hear your opinion. But like I said, I wasn't trying to look for positive remarks or whatever."

"I know, and I believe you. Honestly, though…I couldn't ask for a better Rookie," Nic confessed. "I wasn't sure it would work out since our wrestling styles are so different, and the fact that you're a babyface and I'm a heel. But I think we've managed to work well together, and you're doing great because of it. Then again, you have so much experience and talent that I think you could've paired with anyone, and you'd still be doing well."

"Jesus Christ…thank you, Nic. You're very kind."

Breakfast slowly drew to an end several minutes later. Olivia grinned a little as she thought about her and Nic's conversation. It did feel slightly repetitive from previous chats they had had over breakfast. It's not that she didn't want to chat with her Pro; she just wished they had discussed other topics.

 _Next time we hang out— be it in the ring or eating out—, I want Nic and I to talk about things that_ don't _concern wrestling whatsoever. I just want to get to know him even better. Hopefully, he'll be open to the idea, rather than opposed,_ she thought.

* * *

 **There you go! I hope you all enjoyed it. :)**

 **Please review, and please don't forget to stay tuned for chapter 16! :D**

 _\- Elizabeth_


	17. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing related to WWE.**

 **Please read & enjoy! :D**

* * *

"You look really good!"

Olivia grinned at her close friend. "Thank you. Taking some time for myself was kinda weird, but I'm glad I did it."

"Me too," April remarked. "You look like you've slept well for a change. How's your head, by the way?"

"Good, thank you for asking," Olivia answered. "I know I'll be cleared for my mixed tag match tonight."

"Yay! You're gonna do great," April said. "Maybe you'll even win another challenge!"

"Christ, don't even remind me of that bullshit. I'm just glad I found a costume in time. I know being a sailor isn't original or sexy, but it's still better than nothing,"

"Oh, you'll be fine. Honestly, don't worry whether you win or not. I was only messing with you."

"I know. Besides, considering you lost last week against Celeste, I know you really wanna beat Karlee tonight."

April nodded. "Yeah, I do. I know I can beat her, though."

As the two Rookies arrived at Bradley Center— located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin— they promptly entered and walked to the Divas' locker room. Instead of changing into ring gear, they had to put on their Halloween costumes for the first challenge. April checked out her sexy _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ costume in the mirror, while Olivia adjusted her sailor's hat. They exchanged amused glances.

"You look good," Olivia said.

"Thanks!" April replied. "So do you. Ready to go out?"

"I don't have a choice, right?"

"True. Let's go."

The pair exited the locker room and began walking to gorilla. When they got to the entrance, they spotted a few more Rookies milling about. A couple Pros were also there, including April's. She excused herself to chat with Edwin about her upcoming match.

"Have fun!" Olivia joked.

April scoffed, but soon laughed as she sauntered off.

Nic wasn't there, so Olivia decided to chat with Celeste, who was standing by herself. Her Pro hadn't arrived yet, so she was happy to find someone else to talk to.

"Hey, how's it goin'?"

"Good, thanks," Olivia said in between newfound laughter. "I love your costume! Does Vickie know that you're dressed as her?"

Celeste shook her head. "She's in for one hell of a surprise."

"No shit! I love it."

"Thanks, Olivia. I love your sailor costume. It looks good."

"Oh, thanks. But to be honest, I can't wait for this dumb challenge to be over."

"Same here. Oh, here come our Pros."

Olivia looked behind her shoulder to see Nic and Vickie approaching the growing crowd of Pros and Rookies. Her cheeks reddened as she caught Nic's eye from a few feet away.

 _I really wish I didn't have to wear this stupid costume! Let's hope this dumb challenge ends sooner than later,_ she thought while he closed the distance between them.

"Hey, Liv! Nice costume."

"Oh, thanks. I'm looking forward to our match more, though," Olivia said with an uncomfortable laugh.

"I don't blame you," Nic replied. "Still, I think you'll win the challenge."

Olivia rolled her eyes. She thought about countering his nice words, but immediately thought better of it.

"You okay?"

"Sure."

Nic wasn't convinced. As the remaining Pros and Rookies began trickling into gorilla, he wasn't as eager to join them like Olivia was. He rested a hand on her shoulder, which startled her. He didn't apply any pressure to make her uncomfortable— rather, he seemed concerned instead of annoyed. He removed his hand before she could make a remark about it.

"I was gonna give you my opinion, but…I don't want to offend you or anything else. I'd tell you know, but we need to get to gorilla now," Olivia said.

While this was true, Nic was puzzled by his Rookie's words. He didn't press her on the matter at that moment, as they needed to join everyone else for the challenge. He silently resolved to bring it up after their match later on that night.

* * *

After losing the Halloween Costume challenge, Olivia quickly changed out of her stupid sailor outfit for her ring gear. It was in the same style that she'd gone with for all of her previous matches, but in bright yellow with white trim. She hustled to gorilla to see Nic already waiting for her.

"I'm sorry for making you wait," she said in a rushed voice. "We still have time before we have to make our entrance, right?"

Nic nodded in response. "You're alright, Liv. We've got, like, a half hour or so before our match happens."

"Good," Olivia replied before she noticed his demeanour. He seemed stiff instead of relaxed like he'd been earlier. "Er…is everything okay?"

"Yeah…it's just…something you said bothered me. No, that's not the right word…but I don't know how else to describe it. I was gonna wait until the show ended to bring it up, but we have time now."

"What was it I said that bothered you?"

"When I said that I thought you'd win the challenge, you rolled your eyes. I really thought you'd win 'cause I thought you looked beautiful— and _no_ , I'm _not_ hitting on you, Liv. My point is, what's wrong?"

Like she said done earlier when confronted the first time, Olivia held her tongue when it came to the truth. "I'm okay…really. I guess I just didn't think I'd win. I was right, apparently. It's not a big deal— I'm sure there'll be another one soon."

Nic nodded, but still looked unsure of her words. "If something's bothering you, just say so."

"Nothing's bothering me," Olivia insisted. "It's more like a controversial opinion that I don't want everyone else to find out."

"Ahh, I see," Nic said as his body relaxed and his lips curved into a small smile. "I'm not gonna blab to the others, Liv. I don't gossip— and I'm sure as hell not gonna gossip about shit my Rookie says. Just tell me what's on your mind! Even if I don't agree, I appreciate hearing what you say about anything and everything."

Noticing that her Pro wasn't going to budge until she made her thoughts known, she exhaled heavily and ran one hand through her hair. "It wasn't your comment that made me roll my eyes; it was about he challenge itself. Since you want me to just tell you, here it is— I hate the NXT challenges with a passion. I think they're incredibly stupid, and I feel awkward and weird every time I do them. I know they're not your doing— some other genius in WWE headquarters came up with them. I rolled my eyes 'cause I didn't want to do the challenge, even though I know I have to anyways."

Nic raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes a bit. He nodded as he tried to take in everything Olivia had said.

"Don't get me wrong— I'm not saying that I don't want to be on NXT," she abruptly added. "I love everything else about this, I really do! But I could do without the challenges."

"And you didn't wanna tell me 'cause you thought I'd tell everyone what you said?" Nic asked.

"Well…there's that. I also wasn't sure how you'd take my opinion, so I thought it would be better to just keep it to myself."

"Now I understand. Look, Liv…I get what you're saying, and I do agree that the challenges are silly. But…ugh, I don't know."

"No, it's okay," Olivia remarked. "I know you can't really do anything about it. I'm just venting, Nic. I appreciate you listening to me…however annoying I may have sounded."

"You weren't annoying at all!" Nic exclaimed. His chuckle was of amusement and disbelief. "I honestly think you need to stop worrying about so much shit."

"Unfortunately, worrying needlessly runs in my mother's side of the family; she did it, her mom did, and I'm sure those before _her_ did so, too. At least, that's what I've been told. So, if I were you, I'd try to get used to it," Olivia explained while pretending to act disappointed that Nic didn't already know this.

But he merely laughed at her teasing. "Oh, alright. All joking aside, I get what you're saying; and I appreciate you telling me. I do agree that the challenges aren't great, but there's not a whole hell of a lot I can do about them, unfortunately. I know you know that, but still."

Olivia nodded with a calm look in her eyes. "Thanks, Nic. I really feel like I can tell you anything. But then again…I already have, for the most part. Between this, my parents' deaths, and my indie experience, there's so much I've told you since we met. Have I said too much at _any_ point?"

"I don't think so," Nic said, "but I feel like I should tell you more about me at some point. We should also learn about each other outside the ring."

Olivia practically cackled. "I was thinking the same thing the other day!"

Nic smirked while he crossed his arms over his chest. "I guess great minds think alike."

Just then, a producer approached the pair to inform them that their match was starting in less than ten minutes. They entered gorilla and exchanged determined looks.

"Ready for another tag match?" Nic asked.

Olivia nodded. "I sure am. I hope you are, too."

"Hell yeah! We got this."

* * *

Having already made their entrance off-camera, Aksana and Goldust were already in the ring with the latter's theme music playing.

"The following is a mixed tag-team match, set for one fall! Already in the ring— the team of Goldust and Aksana!"

The crowd clapped and cheered appropriately upon hearing the pair's names being announced. Aksana blew a few kisses to the first camera she spotted, while Goldust remained stoic. Their theme music died down a minute or two later, causing them to quietly discuss their strategy, or something else— no one could quite tell what exactly.

Dolph's theme music hit a moment after that, causing the crowd to cheer and booed to an almost equal level. Both he and Olivia appeared on the ramp, where they shared unconcerned glances.

"And their opponents— the team of Dolph Ziggler and Olivia!"

The wrestlers made their way to the ring, but Olivia didn't enter between the ropes like Dolph did. Instead, she decided to climb a turnbuckle from the outside, posed on top of it, and then hop down to the canvas feet first. The crowd laughed and even cheered a bit at her antics. Meanwhile, Dolph had already entered the ring, and had watched with a bemused smirk. They soon reunited in their corner.

"Thought I'd try something new," Olivia explained.

"I noticed," Dolph said. He couldn't help but laugh a little. "I like it."

"Thanks! So…do you wanna start first?"

"Yeah, sure."

Olivia nodded before stepping out onto the ring apron. She watched as Aksana did the same thing. The referee made sure that both Superstars were ready before the bell rang.

With the match now underway, the two men sized up one another prior to locking up. Dolph managed to pull Goldust into a side headlock. However, Goldust fought back and threw his opponent to the ropes. Dolph bounced off, but received a clothesline for doing so. He got back to his feet— albeit slowly— and tried to mount an offence of sorts. But Goldust punched him repeatedly before executing a sidewalk slam. He then went for the cover, yet Dolph kicked out at one.

"You got this, Dolph!" Olivia exclaimed.

"C'mon, baby!" Aksana chimed in.

Goldust grabbed Dolph to his feet, and then executed another sidewalk slam. Dolph sat up and tried to recover from the move, but Goldust didn't give him much of a chance to do so. He lifted his opponent up and performed an inverted atomic drop, followed by a spinebuster. Again, Goldust covered his opponent— and again, Dolph kicked out, except at two this time around.

"Goldust, beat him!" Aksana cried.

Olivia stamped one foot in frustration. "Tag me, Dolph! Tag me!"

Dolph hesitated, but knew that unlike previous matches, this one had to wrap up sooner. Then again, it wouldn't be fair to not give the Rookies a chance to show their in-ring skills. He scrambled over to the turnbuckle where Olivia stood, and tagged her in without a second thought. Goldust deflated from what he witnessed, but didn't resist going to his corner.

Once both women entered the ring, Aksana landed a couple of sloppy clotheslines that knocked Olivia to the mat repeatedly. She then pulled off a sidewalk slam of her own, but didn't go for the pin. She instead lifted her opponent up and then executed a hair-pull slam that left Olivia a crumple heap. After that, Aksana went for the pin. However, Olivia kicked out at one.

"C'mon, Olivia!" Dolph yelled.

 _Yeah, I'm not gonna waste more of my time on this match,_ Olivia thought as she collected herself from the ground.

Aksana tried to regain control of the match, but Olivia wasn't having it. She threw Aksana's hands off of her before punching her square in the face. She then ran the ropes and bounced off to execute a crossbody. Aksana threw Olivia off, meaning that the smaller Rookie couldn't go for a pin. But Olivia didn't worry too much because she delivered a reverse roundhouse kick a split second later.

"Win, Aksana!" Goldust exclaimed.

Olivia ignore his words as she tried to Irish whip Aksana into a turnbuckle. But Aksana used her stature and strength to Irish whip Olivia into that same turnbuckle. Once Olivia hit the corner, Aksana went for a flying clothesline. However, Olivia jumped on the top turnbuckle to avoid the impact, and then pulled off a sunset flip pin. Somehow, that one move managed to pick up a three count.

"Here are your winners— the team of Dolph Ziggler and Olivia!"

Dolph ran into the ring to help Olivia help from the mat. The referee raised one of their arms in victory for a few moments before leaving the pair be. They exchanged smiles and high-fives, but didn't take things any further than that. Olivia went up on a turnbuckle and posed while the audience cheered in response.

 _There's no way in hell that Dolph's gonna get anything more from me,_ she thought.

* * *

It wasn't long after that when both Nic and Olivia left the ring and returned to gorilla.

"That was shorter than I thought it was gonna be," Olivia remarked as they exited gorilla and turned into an adjacent hallway.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Nic said while gesturing to a nearby TV. "It's 'cause of what's gonna happen next."

Olivia looked in the same direction to see what Nic was talking about. Goldust explained to Aksana that he was willing to do anything to keep her from being deported to her home country. He soon proposed to her, which she graciously accepted.

"I kinda forgot about that storyline," Olivia admitted.

Nic's laugh was brief. "That was why our match was so short— they needed a little time for that."

"Fair enough," Olivia said with some resignation. "At least we won. You did good."

"Thanks, Liv. So did you. But I can see why you weren't excited to face her."

"She's…okay. Ugh, I don't wanna get into it again. I already regret doing so the first time 'cause it made me sound like a pretentious asshole."

Nic shook his head with a sarcastic smirk. "No, it didn't. Liv, all you did was give your opinion— that's it! There's nothing inherently wrong with that."

"I guess you're right," Olivia replied. She paused to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "I should head to the locker room. I'll see you in a few."

"Yeah, sounds good."

Olivia headed off to the locker room, not caring if Nic was trailing behind her or not. She made it inside to see a familiar face also inside.

"Hey, April!"

"Oh, hey, Olivia!" April greeted. She set her phone aside and grinned wide. "Congrats on your win, by the way."

"Thank you," Olivia replied. "It wasn't my best match, that's for sure."

"But it's not your fault," April insisted. "You made the best of it, and it shows. You and Nic definitely work well together. I really think there's gonna be a romantic storyline between your characters!"

Upon hearing this, Olivia let out a small snort, which caused both her and April to crack up for a few minutes. Eventually though, they calmed down enough to carry on their conversation.

"I highly doubt that," Olivia said. "I don't think there's gonna be a romantic storyline for us. They would've started that crap a long time ago, don't you think?"

April shrugged. "They can start one whenever they feel like it. I think it'll happen in a week or so."

"No, it won't."

"Wanna bet on it?"

Olivia raised her eyebrows. "How much?"

April stood up so she was finally close to eye-level with her close friend. "20 bucks."

"So, the bet is that Nic and I will get into some sort of romantic storyline during NXT?"

"Let's make it easier— you and Nic will, at the very least, _kiss_ on-camera during your time on NXT."

Olivia nodded and extended her hand out. "Okay, you're on."

April shook her hand vigorously. "I can't wait to see you lose."

* * *

 **There you go! I hope you all enjoyed it. :)**

 **Please review, and don't forget to stay tuned for chapter 17! :D**

 _\- Elizabeth_


	18. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I own nothing from WWE.**

 **Please read & enjoy! :D**

* * *

The next day, Olivia woke up early to get a workout in. After spending almost an hour in the gym, she showered and got ready for the day. She threw on a slouchy beige sweater, light wash boyfriend jeans, and brown flat boots. She then grabbed her cellphone and wallet before getting into the elevator. She expected her ride to the lobby would be quick, but she hit a stop on the third floor. Who got on but the last person she expected to see.

"Oh, Liv! Hey."

"Hey, Nic. How are you?"

"Good, good. I'm just grabbing some breakfast. Are you doing the same?"

Olivia nodded. "Yeah. So…do you wanna eat together?"

"Sure!" Nic replied. "I'll take you out, too."

"You don't have to do that."

"I know, but I want to."

At this explanation, Olivia rolled her eyes and scoffed a little. "Well, thank you, Nic. That's very kind of you."

"It's no problem at all, Liv," Nic said.

Once the pair made it to the lobby, they left the hotel and began walking to Nic's car. But Olivia stopped before they got too far.

"If you're going to take me out for breakfast, the least I can do is drive us there," she explained.

Nic chuckled. "Fair enough."

The two wrestlers walked over to Olivia's rental car, and drove to a diner just ten minutes from their hotel. They got their seats near the back of the joint and began chatting away about last night's events.

"So…next week will be the wedding of Aksana and Goldust," Olivia declared with a hint of disbelief.

"Yep, _that's_ happening," Nic remarked with a laugh. "Excited?"

Olivia's eyes went sullen and her face looked dim. "Sure, let's go with that."

Both Pro and Rookie laughed just as their server came by to get their drink orders.

"Well, I found out something last night that _will_ get you excited," Nic confessed.

"Oh, yeah? What's that?"

"There's definitely going to be an elimination next week."

Olivia raised her eyebrows. "Took long enough. I was wondering if WWE remembered that this was a competition, not another excuse to stare at pretty women on TV."

Again, Nic chuckled. "Yeah, I have no idea why it's been almost a month since the first elimination took place. But we're finally gonna have another elimination. Oh, and I found that you're facing Trinity next week."

"Oh, that's awesome! I've been itching to face her again. I haven't faced Trin in months."

"Good. She's been blowing me away week after week, so I think you two are gonna have a killer match."

"I know we will, but I'm gonna beat her. I've beaten her once before, and then she beat me— it's time to break the tie."

Nic's smirk was of amusement. "Yeah, I don't blame you for feeling that way."

Olivia bit her lip as she recalled an old thought that had come up the last time they'd had breakfast together. As much as she'd enjoyed talking about wrestling with Nic, she wanted to try and not talk about just wrestling. Granted, they had spoken about their respective lives outside of the ring once before. But that had been almost a month ago— and even back then, it'd been focused mostly on Olivia. Since that time, all of their conversations away from work had been about exactly that.

 _Here goes nothing,_ she thought just as Nic spoke up.

"You okay, Liv?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I'm good."

"Are you sure? You just got so quiet all of a sudden."

Olivia waited until they received their drinks and placed their orders before explaining herself.

"Well…it's just…I've noticed that whenever we hang out, all we ever talk about it wrestling. It's fine when we're at work— it's inevitable, really. But when we're away from work like we are now, we still only ever talk about it. I know this may sound annoying, and you're more than welcome to say no, but…I'd really like to get to know you more outside of just wrestling. Is that okay? You can do the same to me, too."

Upon hearing this request, Nic's smirk changed into a smile. There was no amusement or sarcasm evident on his face. Instead, he seemed open to the idea of having a different kind of conversation for a change.

"That's actually a great idea, Liv. Can I start?"

Olivia relaxed with a wide grin. "Sure."

"What's your favourite kind of music?"

"I'll listen to anything, really. If I had to pick a favourite genre, I'd say it's alternative. What about you? What music do you like?"

"80's metal is my all-time favourite. But I also like some pop music…mostly Britney Spears."

Olivia looked surprised, but didn't laugh at his face upon hearing his answer. "There's nothing wrong with either of them. So, what's your favourite movie?"

"Anything by Chevy Chase is good by me, but _Caddyshack_ is my number one pick. You?"

"I'm more into horror movies myself— the bloodier the better. If I had to pick a favourite, it'd be _The Evil Dead_. It's bloody, but there's also a good story."

Nic raised his eyebrows. "You don't strike me as the type of person that likes horror flicks."

"Yeah, I get that a bit. I got into them back in college because of a friend of mine."

"Ahh, I see. What's your favourite book?"

Olivia stifled a laugh. "Stephen King's bibliography. Seriously, I love _all_ of his novels."

Unlike his Rookie, Nic couldn't contain his laughter. "Now I'm starting to understand where your love of horror movies comes from."

"Yeah, it makes sense," Olivia said just as the pair received their food. "Do you read often?"

"When I can," Nic confessed. "I don't really prefer any genre or author. I just read whatever interests me."

"Cool. Hmm…I guess we can do one more question: Do you _watch_ any sports?"

"Mostly football— American football, I mean. I root for the Cleveland Browns 'cause it's my hometown, but I know they're not an amazing team. Other than that, I'll watch a rare hockey game here and there. But I don't really root for any particular team."

Olivia made a disgusted face. "The Browns? Seriously? My team's definitely better than yours."

"Oh, yeah? And which team do _you_ cheer for?"

"The Pittsburgh Steelers. I've been a fan since I was a kid."

Nic furrowed his eyebrows, confused. "But you're from California…I thought you'd root for one of their teams."

"My dad was a Steelers fan since he was a kid 'cause he was from Pittsburgh. He and my grandparents moved to Long Beach when he was a teen, but he never stopped being a fan. He watched football a lot, and I joined him in loving the Steelers early on," Olivia explained.

"Ah, I see now. That's cool…and really sweet, actually."

"Yeah. He was awesome, and so was my Mom."

Nic sensed that his Rookie had suddenly gone from being herself to nostalgic— but in a somber manner. However, she perked right back up a moment later with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to get depressed all of a sudden," she remarked.

"No, it's okay," Nic insisted. "You have the right to feel that way."

Olivia's laugh was hollow. "Well…thank you, Nic." She paused to collect her thoughts as best as she could. "Anyways, I'm afraid I can't think of any more questions at the moment. I hope I didn't annoy you by asking them. In fact, that was why I had been putting off this for a while."

"You didn't annoy me at all, Liv. I actually enjoyed this little session of 20 Questions, or whatever you wanna call it. It makes us feel less like co-workers and more like friends."

"You consider me a friend?"

Nic nodded as he rested his elbows on the table; he'd just finished eating. "Yeah, I do. Is that okay?"

Olivia mused this for a moment before a smile crept onto her face. "Of course it's okay. I just…didn't expect you to say so, that's all. But now that I think about it, I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. We hit it off so well when we first met that it's hard to think of us as anything other than friends."

At this, Nic's grin turned into a huge smile. "You got that right, Liv. So, are you eager for next week's match?"

"Oh, yeah. I have a great feeling that I'll win, and be safe from elimination, too."

"So do I, Liv. You'll get through no problem. All that matter after that is getting through the rest of NXT so you can win it."

"You got that right," Olivia said.

* * *

 **There you go! I hope you all enjoyed it. :)**

 **Please review, and don't forget to stay tuned for chapter 18! :D**

 _\- Elizabeth_


	19. Chapter 18

**Hey, guys! Long time no update. Well...here's one for you now! Better late than never.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing by WWE.**

 **Anyways, please read & enjoy! :D**

* * *

Olivia sighed as she adjusted her outfit for what felt like the hundredth time. Tonight's NXT taping— which was taking place at the Arena at Harbour Yard in Bridgeport, Connecticut— wasn't just another night of matches. The on-camera wedding between Aksana and Goldust was also set to go down. That meant that everyone had to be more dressed up than usual. Olivia wouldn't normally mind such a thing— she loved dressing up anytime. But the wedding only put off her match with Trinity tonight, and that was merely a nuisance.

She studied her reflection once more to take in her outfit. She'd settled on a plain black shift dress. Its hem stopped just above her knee, and also had a high neckline— making the possibility of cleavage showing impossible. She paired it with black pointed-toe heels, vintage earrings, and rose gold rings scattered on various fingers. It was definitely tamer when compared to what both the Rookies and Divas would turn up in. For a moment, Olivia considered changing into something more risqué.

 _No,_ she thought, _that isn't my style. I should just stick with what I'm comfortable. And if WWE has a problem with it…I'll apologize and remember not to do this for next time._

A knock on the door startled Olivia out of her thoughts. She was quick to answer it, only to have a guilty look cross her face.

"Sorry for making you wait, April."

"I was wondering what you were doing," the Rookie remarked with an amused laugh. "You look so pretty!"

"Oh, thank you. You don't think it's too…boring?"

April shook her head. "It's super tight…that's interesting enough, right?"

"Sure," Olivia said in a monotone voice. She sighed before collecting her duffel bag and purse. "Let's go. I want this bullshit to end."

The pair exited the hotel for April's rental car. They began the drive to the stadium, but hit a minor traffic jam on the way. They sat between cars, mostly unmoving. A curse escaped April's lips, but Olivia shrugged it off.

"Don't sweat it," she said.

April bit her lip. "Alright, fine. There was something I wanted to ask you anyways."

"Oh, yeah? What's up?" Olivia asked.

"Are you sure that you and Nic aren't gonna do a romantic storyline on NXT?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Unless you know something that I don't."

April giggled. "No, I don't. I'm asking 'cause between the Aksana and Goldust wedding and what's happening with my character and Edwin's, I'm honestly surprised that Olivia and Dolph haven't had anything going, so to speak."

"Yeah, that's a good point," Olivia conceded. "But no, I don't think anything will happen between our characters."

"Wanna bet?" April asked.

Olivia's smirk was massive. "Sure. What do you want it to be exactly?"

"I bet that Nic's gonna kiss you on NXT tonight. I don't care if that's all that happens— I predict that during tonight's taping, your characters are gonna kiss."

"That's it?"

"That's it. I didn't wanna get too crazy or specific with it."

"Fair enough. Is this part of that bet we made the other day?"

April laughed. "Oh, hell yeah."

"You're on!" Olivia exclaimed.

They exchanged handshakes just as traffic began to lighten up. April didn't waste any time hightailing it to the stadium for tonight's taping. They still had plenty of time to put their things away in the Divas' locker room and walk near gorilla without having to rush.

"The wedding's first, is it not?" Olivia asked once they reached their final destination.

"Yeah, that's what I heard," April replied.

"It is."

The pair looked over to see Nic walking over by himself. He had on black dress pants, a black suit vest— but no dress shirt underneath— and a jet black tie.

"Nice outfit," Olivia remarked with an amused smirk.

"I was gonna say the same thing," April added. "Did you forget your shirt?"

"No," Olivia blurted, "he just thinks he doesn't need one."

Nic scowled, but both women could see that it was all a show. His urge to laugh won out, so they promptly joined him.

"And here I was about to say that you two look very nice," Nic admitted once everyone had calmed down.

"Doesn't mean that that's untrue," Olivia pointed out.

"Good one!" April exclaimed.

Again, Nic's scowl was phony. "Whatever."

Just then, Edwin made this way over to the trio. "Hey, I hate to interrupt you guys, but I need to steal April from you."

"You wanna go over our lines one more time?" April inquired.

Edwin nodded.

"Sure." She gave Olivia and Nic an apologetic smile. "Excuse me."

"Don't worry about it," the redheaded Rookie said. "Have fun!"

After April and Edwin left, Olivia's smile faded. She then opened her mouth to speak again, but Nic quickly cut her off.

"Don't even think about apologizing," he remarked. "Those jabs were funny as hell."

"If you insist."

"I do."

Olivia sighed as she played with her short hair, which she had curled for tonight. "Alright, then. All joking aside, you look good."

"Thanks, Liv. You look lovely as well," Nic said with a small grin.

The compliment made Olivia blush, as it was far nicer than she'd expected. "Thanks. Let's hope this on-screen wedding doesn't take long."

* * *

As it turns out, the wedding portion didn't take place first. Instead, a match took place between Barbie and Victoria, and then things were set up for what was going to happen. Most of the Rookies were standing in the ring, wearing wedding-appropriate dresses. But not all of them were there; Aksana was off getting ready, while AJ and Kaitlyn were nowhere to be seen. Two of the Pros were also missing— Dolph and Primo.

During a lull, the Titantron suddenly lit up to shoe AJ and Primo walking backstage, chatting about who knows what. Everyone's eyes went to the massive screen, including Olivia's. She crossed her arms over her chest as her eyes glazed over. But that didn't last long.

When the camera slowly panned onto Dolph and Kaitlyn making out just inches from Primo and AJ, most of the crowd gasped. Olivia couldn't help but gasp, too; it had been the last thing she'd expected to see.

 _And here everyone thought_ we _were gonna kiss_ , she thought.

But the more she thought about it, the less surprising the situation seemed. Kaitlyn and Dolph had been teasing something romantic off and on. It hadn't been anything serious, but it also hadn't been discreet.

"Damn," Naomi whispered, "I thought that would've been you kissin' him!"

Olivia narrowed her eyes at the taller woman. "Are you serious?"

"Hey, you're his Rookie!"

"Okay, that's fair. But I'm still gonna kick your ass tonight just for that comment."

Naomi smirked. "We'll see about that."

* * *

Once the segment ended and the wedding took place, all of the Rookies and Pros left the ring to freshen up before the last leg of the taping occurred. Olivia needed to change into her ring gear, so she darted to the Divas' locker room. April and Celeste were the only ones inside, chatting about the segment they had done earlier that night.

"Hey, Olivia," Celeste greeted. "Sorry I kissed your Pro."

Olivia snorted. "It's fine. You can have him for all I care."

April cackled, while Celeste laughed into her hand. Olivia merely shrugged before beginning to change out of her dress, and into her ring gear.

"I'm serious," she added.

"Oh, I know you are," Celeste said.

"The segment was amusing to watch, though," Olivia confessed with a small laugh. "My favourite part was seeing you throw that cake on Vickie. I'm sorry, but that was hilarious."

"That was a lot of fun! Way more fun than kissing Nic, actually. _That_ was kinda gross, not gonna lie."

"Really?" April furrowed her eyebrows with both confusion and surprise.

Celeste nodded with a grossed-out expression. "Let's just say that there was too much saliva involved, and I'll just leave it at that."

April and Olivia exchanged glances before laughing again.

"At least you got to throw cake at Vickie," April remarked.

By now, Olivia had finished changing into her ring gear. She excused herself to fix her hair before she met with her friends again.

"I'm going to gorilla. Anyone wanna come with me?" she asked.

"I will," Celeste replied.

"Same," April chimed in.

The trio were about to exit the locker room, but Olivia abruptly stopped just as she opened the door.

"By the way," she said looking directly at April, "you owe me 20 bucks."

April loudly scoffed as she stomped to her bag, dug for her wallet, and ripped out a 20 dollar bill out. She returned to where her friends stood and practically slammed the money in Olivia's hand.

"Thank you."

"Whatever."

Olivia smirked as she quickly tucked her meager winning in her wallet. She then rejoined her friends as they all laughed.

"I can't believe you two," Celeste said in between snickered.

The trio began making their way to gorilla while chatting about the on-screen wedding. They only made it a few feet from the curtain when they spotted Trinity and Barbie.

"Hey, guys!" Celeste greeted. "How's it goin'?"

"It's goin' good," Trinity replied. She smiled at her opponent. "You look good, girl."

"Thank you," Olivia said. "You look great, too. Ready for tonight?"

Trinity nodded. "Oh, yeah. I'm prepared to beat you."

"You got this," Barbie added with a cocky grin.

Olivia nodded in understanding. "We'll see about that."

April and Celeste snickered, and even Trinity joined in. But Barbie didn't find the remark amusing. Her smirk turned into a scowl in a split second.

"Watch it, Olivia," she spat.

"Whoa, chill," Trinity said. Her smile had been replaced with a confused look. "We're just messin' around. We like to talk trash. It's our thing, Barb."

"I respect Trinity, and she knows it," Olivia piped up.

"I'm sure you do," Barbie said lamely before she excused herself from the situation.

Trinity mouth a quick "Sorry" to her fellow Rookie before following Barbie to wherever the blonde-haired Divas was heading off to.

"What the hell was that all about?" Celeste asked.

"Who knows? I'm not that concerned, really. My match is soon— I need to stay focused on that."

"That guy's gonna help," April pointed out, a hint of resentment oozing in her voice.

The guy in question was now walking to gorilla, wearing more casual clothes for a change. He reached the group with a relaxed smile.

"Hey, ladies. What's goin' on?"

"I'm upset with you," April blurted. "You're the reason why I lost 20 bucks!"

Nic frowned. "I don't understand."

 _Of course she'd bring it up_ , Olivia thought. She sighed with resignation. "April was convinced that we were gonna kiss on NXT tonight. But since you kissed Celeste, she lost."

Upon hearing this, Nic looked like he wasn't sure how to react. But he collected himself quickly with a half-hearted smile.

"Look, it was stupid," Olivia continued. "I'm sorry if it's offensive 'cause that's not what we were doing."

"It was my idea," April explained. "I started it 'cause I had remarked that I thought it was weird how your characters hadn't been thrown into a romantic storyline. I kinda forgot about what was going on between you and Celeste."

At this, Celeste raised her hands up in a defensive manner. "Don't look at me. I only found out about this a few minutes ago."

Nic studied each terrified woman with a steady gaze. He nodded before bursting into a fit of laughter. Celeste and April relaxed in moments, and joined in on his laughter.

But Olivia couldn't bring herself to laugh. She'd been so worried about offending her Pro that she'd managed to work herself into a tizzy of sorts.

"Liv, I'm not upset about it," Nic insisted. "I'm amused, honestly."

"Oh, thank God. Uh…can we get into gorilla now? Please? The match is gonna happen soon."

"Oh, yeah," Celeste said. "You guys should get going. Good luck!"

"Good luck," April echoed.

"Thanks," Olivia replied before she and Nic entered gorilla. She knew without having to look into a mirror that her face was about as red as her hair.

"God, that's so fucking embarrassing. Shit, I'm sorry for cursing. Wait…I did it again! Ugh, why am I making this so awkward?"

Nic shrugged. "I don't think you're making things awkward at all. I really thought it was funny, Liv."

Olivia finally relaxed her entire body from head to toe. "That's good."

"You worry too much."

"Gee, tell me something I don't know."

Nic went deep into thought for a couple of minutes before eventually responding. "You're most likely gonna win tonight."

"I'll give you that," Olivia said. "I'm so ready for this."

"Good," Nic replied. "Let's get to gorilla then."

With that, the pair strolled into proper position, eager for the Rookie's match to commence as tonight's main event.

* * *

 **There you go! I hope you all enjoyed it.**

 **Please review, and don't forget to stay tuned for chapter 19! :D**

 _\- Elizabeth_


	20. Chapter 19

**Hey, everyone! After having not updated this fanfic since January this year (Sorry about that, by the way!), I've finally gotten around to uploading a new chapter! I'm super happy about that.**

 **If you're wondering whether or not there will be regular updates...I don't know yet. I'd like to upload a new chapter once a week, but I'm not promising anyways. My schedule is so insane that I refuse to promise anything like that. If this changes, I promise to let you know!**

 **Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing that's from WWE.**

 **Anyways, please read & enjoy!**

* * *

"The following is a singles match, set for one fall! Introducing first— Olivia!"

As the crowd cheered and music blared loudly, Olivia strolled onto the ramp with Dolph trailing shortly behind her. She was all smiles while Dolph had a cocky smirk plastered on his face. Once the pair made it to the ring, they exchanged steely-eyed stares.

"Are you ready for this match?" Dolph asked.

Olivia nodded. "I sure am. I still can't believe I'm main eventing _NXT_!"

Dolph's smirk turned into a smile that appeared to break kayfabe. "You've earned it, Liv. Trust me."

"Thank you…Nic."

The pair nodded at one another, with Olivia breaking out a small smile of her own. But when Dolph's theme ended, her smile faded into a stone-cold facial expression. She furrowed her eyebrows and placed her hands on her hips when Kelly Kelly's theme music began.

"And her opponent— Naomi!"

Both Kelly and Naomi were all smiles as they exited the curtain and strolled down the ramp. They each hi-fived fans as they practically pranced to the ring. Olivia happened to catch Kelly's eye, and the blonde-haired Diva's smile faltered for a split second.

 _She hates me_ , Olivia noted while her opponent prepared for the impending match.

Both Pros stood on the apron just outside the ropes as the bell went off to finally start the match. Olivia and Naomi circled each other for a couple of minutes before locking up. Because Naomi was taller and stronger, she had no trouble backing Olivia up into a turnbuckle. The referee yelled at the former Rookie to back off, which she did. Before she could make her next move though, Olivia delivered a sharp kick to her gut. Naomi stumbled and created just enough distance for Olivia to get up on the second turnbuckle and deliver a missile dropkick. Once Naomi hit the canvas, Olivia went for the pin. But Naomi was able to kick out just before the two count.

"Come on, Naomi!" Kelly shouted.

"You got this, Olivia!" Dolph yelled. "Beat her!"

Olivia brought Naomi to her feet before bouncing off the ropes and executing a wheelbarrow bulldog. Naomi hit the canvas hard once again, but Olivia didn't go for the pin just yet. She rolled to the outside of the ropes and stood precariously on the ring apron. She then bounced off the top rope and executed a spinning corkscrew, hitting Naomi in the stomach. That led to Olivia finally going to the pin again, but she didn't get a three count like she'd hoped.

"Come on, Naomi!" Kelly echoed.

"Keep at it, Liv!" Dolph countered.

Despite the brutal combo she'd just endured, Naomi slowly made it to a sitting position. But Olivia didn't give her the chance to stand back up. That's because she delivered a brutal kick to her opponent's back, and then another to her chest. As Naomi groaned and tried to recover, Olivia bounced off the ropes further from Naomi, jumped off one shoulder, bounced off the other set of ropes, and then delivered a front dropkick. That laid Naomi out flat on her back, so Olivia jumped at the chance to pin her opponent. But Naomi kicked out again, much to the smaller Rookie's annoyance.

"Get up, Naomi!" Kelly cried.

"C'mon, Liv!" Dolph shouted. His hands gripped a turnbuckle so hard that his knuckles turned white.

Naomi made it to her feet, albeit with Olivia's assistance. But Naomi didn't give her opponent a chance to attack this time around. She elbowed her square in the nose, causing Olivia to stumble backwards. Naomi threw her to the ropes, where Olivia bounced off and received a dropkick. Before she could try and get up, Naomi jumped as high as she could and delivered a powerful leg drop. She went for the pin for the first time during the match, but Olivia kicked out at two.

"You can do it, Naomi!" Kelly shouted.

"C'mon, Liv! You got this!" Dolph exclaimed.

Naomi brought Olivia to her feet before Irish whipping her into a turnbuckle. The momentum was so strong that Olivia actually bounced off and landed in a crumpled mess on the canvas. She managed to stand back up before Naomi delivered a flashy stunner. Despite now being in a dazed, Olivia remained on her feet until Naomi Irish whipped her into the ropes. Olivia was met with what Naomi had named the Rear View- a powerful jumping hip attack. Olivia landed on the canvas hard, so Naomi went for the pin again. Again, Olivia managed to kick out at the two count.

"Yes!" Dolph shouted. "C'mon, Olivia!"

"Shut up, Dolph!" Kelly sneered.

Dolph frowned. Kelly was known to be competitive, but tonight was different. Her bright blue eyes were narrow and— up until she had delivered that insult— had remained fixated on the match. But she appeared more focused on Olivia than her own Rookie, which wasn't like her at all.

Despite any growing concerns, Dolph focused back on the match in time to see the two Rookies trading tired-looking punches. Olivia managed to deliver a punch hard enough to create some distance between them. She bounced off the ropes and pulled off a devastating tilt-a-whirl DDT. The crowd gasped at the powerful move that left both Rookies flat out on the canvas. The referee spent a few minutes checking on the both of them while the crowd buzzed with excitement.

"Cover her, Liv!" Dolph exclaimed. He was practically jumping up and down on the apron.

"Oh, shut up, Dolph!" Kelly repeated. She raised her eyebrows and shook her head with a nasty scowl.

Dolph ignored the Diva's behaviour to see if his Rookie was actually okay. Seeing Olivia drag herself towards a barely moving Naomi calmed him down significantly. He hoped that this would be the trick for her to snag the win. But Naomi was able to kick out at two-and-a-half, much to everyone's surprise.

"You can beat her!" Kelly yelled. "Come on, Naomi!"

It took a couple of minutes, but both Rookies eventually made it back to their feet. Olivia tried to deliver a punch, but Naomi blocked it and delivered a punch of her own. Olivia staggered backwards and grabbed the ropes to help gather her thoughts again. Naomi tried to throw her to the opposite ropes, but Olivia was able to hang on tight and stay in place. She kicked Naomi hard enough in the stomach to have her stumble backwards. Olivia got behind the ropes and tried to pull off a slingshot crossbody. But Naomi caught her before delivering a painful backbreaker. She got Olivia's shoulders down and tried yet again to pick up the win. But Olivia kicked out at two-and-a-half. The crowd cheered at her kicking out, causing a half-hearted grin to show up on her face.

"You're almost there, Liv!" Dolph shouted. "Beat her!"

"Come on, Naomi! You got this!" Kelly chimed in.

Olivia was able to make it to her feet while Naomi remained laid out on the canvas. Thinking fast, Olivia hopped on the top of the first turnbuckle she saw and executed a flawless Olivia-Sault. It hit Naomi just right, allowing Olivia to finally get the three count and the win. The crowd erupted with cheers before the bell rung.

"Here's your winner— Olivia!"

Dolph entered the ring and helped his Rookie up. She clung to his arms tight until she made it to her feet. They exchanged hi-fives, which is when Olivia noticed that her Pro was smiling a genuine smile.

"You killed it," he said just loud enough for her to hear.

Olivia returned a genuine smile of her own. "Thanks! It's cause I have a great Pro."

Dolph scoffed at this notion. "Sure…let's go with that."

Olivia rolled her eyes and shook her head. She then looked over at Naomi, who had now managed to make it to her feet.

"Good job!" Olivia remarked. "You were born to wrestle, believe me!"

Naomi's eyes went wide, but she smiled a moment later. "Thanks, Olivia. You rock."

The pair shared a brief hug before returning to their respective Pros.

* * *

Olivia and Nic headed into the back together, with the former leaning onto her Pro for support. She panted a bit as she walked, but still managed to maintain a smile on her face throughout.

"Are you okay? Do you need to see medical?" Nic asked.

"No thanks, I'm fine," Olivia answered. "But thanks for asking. I really wanna sit down, that's all."

Nic found a small side room, so he ushered her inside without a second thought. A small couch and a couple chairs were situated inside, which was exactly what Olivia was looking for. She made it to the couch as quickly as her body would allow her. Despite this, Nic sat down first, but left her plenty of room to sit beside him. The door remained ajar, though only a little bit.

"You fucking _killed_ it, Liv," he said with a laugh. "Sorry, I know I shouldn't laugh…I'm just stunned, that's all. I'm so blown away by how talented you are!"

"Thank you, Nic…really," Olivia replied. "Like I said out there, it's 'cause I have a great Pro."

Nic scoffed the same way he'd done so in the ring, causing Olivia to frown.

"What?"

"It's just…I appreciate your kind words, Liv. Believe me, I do. But you're a great wrestler before I became your Pro. Remember when we hung out outside of work for the first time, and I said that I wasn't sure there was anything I could teach you skills-wise?"

Olivia nodded.

"Well, it's true! I'm sorry if that makes me a bad Pro, but I can't really teach you anything," Nic added. "You're already great— I'm just here to act like I'm teaching you shit when I'm really not doing a thing."

Olivia's smile faded, causing her to bite her lower lip. "I'm sorry if I made you feel bad. That was never my intention."

"No, you're not—"

Before Nic could even think about finishing that spot, someone banged on the door to the room the two were in. The force of the knocking caused it to open, where Barbie and the twins stood.

"I knew it!" Barbie exclaimed. "I knew that Olivia was trying to get into his pants."

Olivia jumped as far away from Nic as possible. "Oh my God, that's so not true!" she exclaimed. "I swear to God, we were just talking about my match."

Nic laughed. He couldn't believe that baseless accusation he'd just heard. "You can't be serious, Barbie. We're friends."

The twins exchanged unclear looks, but it was Nikki who spoke up. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure! I thought you said you trust me?" Nic argued.

Nikki suddenly back-pedalled. "Well…I mean…"

By now, Olivia had had enough. "I don't want to deal with this right now. The last thing I'm gonna say about it now is that Nic is my Pro, and I am his Rookie. I don't date co-workers at all, and I certainly wouldn't date or sleep with anyone who's in the position he's in. Now, if you could please excuse me, I'd like to freshen up now."

She got up and stormed out without bothering to look back by Nic, Barbie, or either of the twins. Her hands were still shaking as he entered the Divas' locker room. Fortunately, only April was there, whose smile faded upon seeing her close friend.

"What's wrong? I thought you'd be happy about winning."

"I was," Olivia said, "until Barbie barged in on Nic and I talking privately, and then accused me of— and I quote— 'trying to get into his pants.'"

"Shut the fuck up!"

"I _wish_ I was kidding, believe me."

"That's totally ridiculous," April said. "Why the hell would anyone think such a thing?"

Olivia shrugged. "I have no fucking clue. Oh, and guess what? She brought Nikki and Brie with her, too. I denied Barbie's bullshit accusation, and so did Nic. But Nikki was like, 'Are you sure?', which seemed to upset Nic. They must be boyfriend and girlfriend because he even said, 'I thought you said you trust me?' But I have no way of knowing for sure right now."

April shook her head with furrowed eyebrows. "Like I said, it's ridiculous. I know I teased you two about a romantic storyline, but still— that's not even the same thing!"

"I know," Olivia replied. "I didn't wanna hear it anymore, so I just told Barbie and the twins that I don't date co-workers, and I would never date and/or sleep with Nic because of our Rookie and Pro relationship. I left without waiting for a response."

"I don't blame you one bit," April said. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault."

"Still…look— I was gonna hang out with Celeste and watch bad movies with her. Why don't you join us? You really need a distraction, from the sounds of it."

Olivia grinned. "I'd like that a lot right now. Thanks, April."

"Anytime! Go get showered and whatever— and please take your time. I'll text Celeste and let her know the change of plans. I know she won't mind."

"Thanks again, April. I owe you one."

April snorted. "You owe me nothing, I swear."

* * *

Later that night, April, Celeste and Olivia were in a hotel room watching some lame movie and gossiping. All they could talk about was the elimination of that night's episode of _NXT_.

"I feel bad for Karlee going home," Olivia remarked.

"Me too," Celeste said. "She was getting better, in my opinion."

"Yeah, but her being gone means that we're all closer to winning!" April commented.

Olivia frowned. "True."

Just then, her phone went off. She grabbed it to see that Nic was calling. April noticed and nodded.

"Take it," she insisted. "It's not like you're mad at him, right?"

"I guess," Olivia said. "Please excuse me. And April, please feel free to fill Celeste in on what she missed."

As that began to get underway, Olivia stepped out into the hotel's hall with the room's door ajar ever so slightly. She answered the call just before it could go to voicemail.

"Hey."

"Liv? Are you okay?" Nic asked. He sounded like he was in a hurry.

"Yeah, I'm hanging out with April and Celeste. Why? Is something wrong?" Olivia asked.

"No, but I've been worried about you. I'm sorry I wasn't able to ask you earlier."

"It's fine, Nic. It's no big deal. I guess you and I need to keep our distance."

Nic sighed. "That's silly. Look…I talked to Nikki, and she believes that you and I are friends. So does Brie— she was there when I spoke to her sister."

"That's good, I guess," Olivia remarked. I'm just upset that this stupid accusation even happened in the first place. Did I say or do something to start it? If I did—"

"No, you didn't," Nic insisted. "Barbie refused to tell me where this bullshit came from in the first place, but I wanna find out. I'm just…I'm sorry that this even happened."

"Don't apologize— it wasn't your fault. How about we get together tomorrow morning and discuss this further? Unless you already have plans…"

"Let's do lunch at noon instead. Does that work for you?"

"Sounds good to me. I'll meet you in the lobby tomorrow for noon," Olivia said.

"Great! I like the sounds of that," Nic replied.

Olivia suddenly smiled. "So do I."

* * *

 **There you go! I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **Please review, and don't forget to stay tuned for chapter 20!**

 _\- Elizabeth_


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